South Sudan confiscates newspaper for report on rebel group
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April 2, 2011 (JUBA) — Southern Sudan security service seized the last
issue of The Juba Post newspaper preventing its distribution in the
capital of the South because it includes threats by a rebel
spokesperson to attack Juba.
Printed in Khartoum due to a lack of printing facilities in the semi
autonomous region, some 2500 copies of the independent newspaper are
transported by airplane twice per week to Juba where they are
distributed. The Juba Post has a circulation of 5000 copies.
In its latest issue, the newspaper published statements by the
spokesperson of the rebel South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM)
headed by the General George Athor. Dok James Pouk said they would
launch heavy attack in Juba before the independence of the South Sudan
in July.
On Wednesday security agents at Juba airport confiscated 2500 copies
of the biweekly newspaper and briefly detained the distribution
officer, the New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Saturday.
The Editor in Chief Michael Koma said he was summoned by the security
service but he declined to appear. He also disclosed he lodged a
complaint with the minister of information Barnaba Marial Benjamin who
will meet him on Monday.
It is believed that the newspaper was confiscated for a headline of
the story related to the rebel spokesperson "Athor plans to attack
Juba". The SSDM spokesperson says their group gathers all the rebel
groups recently formed in the region and they plan to storm Juba.
Minister Barnaba reacted to the seizure saying he does not approve a
ban of a newspaper because of its content.
"Hostile articles should be allowed to run, that is freedom of
expression which we support," the minister said in statements to
Reuters on Saturday. He further said he was looking for more details
about the Post’s allegations.
Southern Sudanese journalists who enjoy more freedom than their
colleagues in the north, suffer however from the lack of legal
framework organizing their profession and protecting them from
harassment by security agents.
The editor of the Juba-based The Citizen was detained in the past for
converging an alleged corruption scandal within the finance ministry.
Last February Nhial Bol said agents of security service raided the
office of the daily newspaper.
The Juba Post Editor in Chief and journalist Deng Atem Kuol were
detained for nine hours last February for a news article alleging the
Ivory Bank was facing financial difficulties.
Southerners overwhelmingly voted last January in favor of the
independence of South Sudan. The event will be proclaimed formally on
9 July six years after the signing of a peace agreement in 2005 ending
civil war between north and south Sudan.
During the interim period, the southern Sudan legislative assembly
failed to adopt three bills related to the press: the Right to
Information bill, the South Sudan Public Service Broadcasting bill,
and the Independent Broadcasting Authority bill.
(ST)
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