U.N. Human Rights Official Assaulted by South Sudan Police
Posted by Tracy Fehr on Aug 29, 2011
South Sudanese police dramatically defied respect for human rights in
the new state through a recent attack on a senior U.N. official – the
head of the human rights division, no less. On August 20, the U.N.
human rights chief in South Sudan, Benedict Sannoh, denied police
access to search his belongings at a hotel in Juba, which Enough
sources said contained U.N. reports. In response to his refusal, more
than 10 police officers “beat, kicked and punched him in a sustained
fashion while he was in a fetal position on the floor,” reported The
New York Times.
After the beating, Sannoh was hospitalized for five days before
seeking medical attention abroad. The U.N. human rights office in
Geneva condemned the assault of Sannoh, its top official in South
Sudan.
There has been no official explanation from the South Sudanese
government as to why the assault took place. Sannoh, who previously
served as the UNMIS chief human rights officer in Khartoum, had
recently been transferred to Juba as part of the U.N. mission in the
Republic of South Sudan, or UNMISS, established on July 9, 2011.
UNMISS spokesman Aleem Siddique told Reuters that the attack is “a
violation of our agreement with the government of South Sudan,” and
UNMISS is conducting an investigation into the incident.
The assault, taking place against such a prominent human rights
official during the new U.N. mission’s transitional period, represents
a foreboding abuse of power that must be immediately recognized,
investigated, and prosecuted. The Government of South Sudan has an
opportunity to hold the perpetrators of the attack accountable and
show the world that a culture of impunity will not stand in its new
nation.
Photo: South Sudanese police (Enough/Tim Freccia)
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