The United Nations has criticized the Sudanese government for imprisoning journalists who reported on the alleged rape of a political activist in the country.

Last week, a Sudanese court sentenced a journalist to one month in prison for writing about the alleged rape of a female political activist by Sudanese security forces. Another journalist who wrote about the incident received the same sentence earlier in July.

A senior U.N. official said Wednesday that “rapists – not reporters – must face criminal charges,” adding that Sudanese journalists have a right to report on sexual violence, regardless of the facts of the case.

Sudanese authorities strongly deny the rape allegations and accuse the reporters of writing innacurate reports.

Several other Sudanese journalists face similar charges for reporting on the incident.