---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 9:44 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Arrests in South Sudan To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Human Rights Watch call for release of Sudan Tribune journalist November 5, 2011 (KHARTOUM) - Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Saturday for the release of Sudan Tribune journalist Ngor Garang, who was arrested Wednesday after a newspaper he edits in Juba published an article critical of South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir. Sudan Tribune journalist Ngor Garang who was arrested by South Sudan’s security services on Wednesday 2 November. (ST) On 26 October, The Destiny newspaper’s first ever edition carried an opinion piece saying that Kiir should not have allowed his daughter to marry an Ethiopian. As editor in chief of the newspaper, Ngor was summoned to meet South Sudan’s security services on Tuesday and was later detained. It is not known where Ngor is being held or what charges, if any, have been made against him but it is suspected he is being held at a prison in the Jebel Market area. Attempts by Sudan Tribune to reach officials at South Sudan’s interior and information ministries have failed. Human Rights Watch’s Jehanne Henry told Sudan Tribune that based on the information available "the arrest and detention of Ngor raises serious concerns about how security officials are carrying out their duties." Ngor’s detention is illegal as under South Sudanese criminal law a person cannot be held for more than 24 hours without permission from the prosecutor or court. Article 19(4) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011 states that: A person arrested by the police as part of an investigation, may be held in detention, for a period not exceeding 24 hours and if not released on bond to be produced in court. The court has authority to either remand the accused in prison or to release him or her on bail. Jehanne Henry said that Human Rights Watch has found that there is no indication that these legal proceedings have been followed in Ngor’s case. "South Sudanese authorities should immediately release or charge Ngor according to [the] law, and make known the place of his detention and ensure he has access to legal counsel." Freedom of expression was one of the reasons South Sudan fought a bitter civil war against north Sudan that lasted over two decades and killed around two million people. Former southern rebels, the SPLM, have governed South Sudan since a peace deal in 2005 gave the region the right to self determination. In July South Sudan became independent from north Sudan but attacks against the press remain common. According to Henry, Ngor’s "case underscores the need to ensure that South Sudanese security forces do not copy Sudan’s national security service, which has long been used as a tool of repression in Sudan by illegally detaining journalists, activists, and other opponents of the ruling party in violation of basic civil rights." The South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURSA) released a statement on Saturday calling for Ngor’s release, pointing out that as well as violating Sudanese law, his ’arbitrary’ detention by the security services ’also contravenes the provision of Article 9 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948’. The local human rights organisation said that Dengdit Ayok The Destiny’s deputy editor in chief, who wrote the article criticising Kiir, has now also been detained by South Sudan’s security services. Ngor’s arrest has also drawn criticism from press freedom group, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "The newspaper has apologised for the article. There is no reason whatsoever Ngor should remain under detention," CPJ’s East Africa Consultant, Tom Rhodes, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday. "South Sudan’s government are getting into the habit of arbitrarily detaining journalists for any critical stories printed - this trend must end immediately." According to figures given to CPJ by South Sudan’s Union of Journalists, Ngor’s extended detention is at least the ninth attack on the press this year. Nhial Bol, the editor in chief of The Citizen newspaper in Juba has been arrested twice this year. Last month he was taken into custody by South Sudanese police after he investigated the business dealings of a Warrap state minister. Earlier this year Bol was taken into custody and had a gun pointed in his face by a police officer in Juba, who said his writing had "spoiled” the image of South Sudan’s SPLM dominated government. South Sudan’s interior minister General Alison Manani Magaya said last month that journalists should consider the image of the world’s newest nation when deciding what to write and publish. “Whatever you write always […] think of South Sudan first, read your report and then ask yourself if this goes out does it have any implications on me as an individual, the country or the individual I am writing about? Once you are able to decide this, then you go ahead.” South Sudan’s ruling SPLM passed up the opportunity to clarify the country’s media laws when it signed a new transitional constitution into law at its independence ceremony on 9 July. In the five and a half years since South Sudan gained self rule adequate guarantees over freedom of expression in the media have not been brought into law. A September report by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that ’local journalists fear the former rebels turned government officials still harbor a war mentality that is unaccustomed to criticism, and that they are not prepared to extend the freedoms they fought hard to attain.’ On Friday Sudan Tribune’s editor in chief Mohammed Nagi said in a press release, that he condemned "in the strongest terms the arbitrary arrest of Ngor", calling for his immediate release. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Human-Rights-Watch-call-for,40633 END1 2. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sudan Tribune calls for South Sudan to release journalist November 4, 2011 Since Wednesday 2 November Ngor Aguot Garang, a journalist at Sudan Tribune, has been held illegally by South Sudan’s security services following the publication of an opinion piece criticising South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir in The Destiny, a newspaper which Ngor edits in Juba. "We condemn in the strongest terms the arbitrary arrest of Ngor Aguot who has showed during the past several years a very high sense of professionalism in his large coverage of political and economic developments in South Sudan," Mohamed Nagi the Sudan Tribune’s editor in chief said on Friday. In the article, published in The Destiny’s first edition on 26 October, its author Gengdit Ayok expressed the opinion that Kiir should not have allowed his daughter to marry an Ethiopian, claiming it was unpatriotic. The Destiny received a letter, addressed to its editor in chief (Ngor) from a senior security official accusing the newspaper of failing to follow professional ethics and publishing illicit news, which was defamatory in nature. The letter did not mention the actual article which led to Ngor’s the arrest but it is widely thought to be due to Gengdit Ayok’s opinion piece. The Destiny newspaper has since been suspended by South Sudan’s information ministry despite an apology from the newspaper. Attempts by Sudan Tribune to contact South Sudan’s interior and information ministries have failed. Ngor’s detention is illegal and he has not been charged with, nor has he committed any crime. Sudan Tribune calls for Ngor’s immediate release and asks civil society, press freedom groups, the international community and other concerned actors to demand the South Sudanese authorities to release Ngor immediately and to uphold the freedom of the press. http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-Tribune-calls-for-South,40625 END2 3. SOUTH SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS SOCIETY FOR ADVOCACY PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 5, 2011 JUBA: SSHURSA DEMANDS RELEASE OF EDITOR NGOR & HIS DEPUTY DENGDIT AND URGES SECURITY ORGANS TO RESPECT THE CONSTITUTION: South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURSA) calls upon the South Sudan’s Internal Security Office to immediately release The Destiny Newspaper’s Editor-In-Chief Ngor Garang or else produce him before a Court of Law for any charge or charges against him. Editor Ngor had been in detention in capital Juba since Tuesday, November 1st 2011 after attending along with his Editorial Board members a meeting to which he was called upon by the officials of the Internal Security but he was detained after the meeting and his newspaper, The Destiny, was subsequently suspended. According to the facts SSHURSA has reliably established, Editor Ngor was detained because of the article written by his deputy Dengdit Ayok that commented on the marriage of the daughter of the President of the Republic of South Sudan by an Ethiopian national in October 2011. SSHURSA has also been informed by the leadership of The Destiny that today the deputy Editor to Ngor, Dengdit Ayok who wrote that article has also been picked up and now in the security detention. SSHURSA however, concerns itself with the violation of Article 19(4) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011 which states that: “A person arrested by the police as part of an investigation, may be held in detention, for a period not exceeding 24 hours and if not released on bond to be produced in court. The court has authority to either remand the accused in prison or to release him or her on bail” The detention of Editor Ngor beyond the constitutionally prescribed 24 hour detention rule is a clear violation not only of this Article 19(4) but also of Section 64(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act 2008, Laws of South (Southern) Sudan that provides similar 24 hour detention limit. The unilateral act of the security organs also contravenes the provision of Article 9 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 that states: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile” SSHURSA therefore, strongly calls upon the Internal Security office to immediately set free Editor Ngor Garang and his deputy Dengdit Ayok arrested (today) or else charge them and produce them for trial before a court of law. SSHURSA also strongly appeals to all security organs and the government of the Republic of South Sudan and the government of the states to uphold the new nation’s Constitution and protect human rights and also release or charge any detainees held beyond the 24 hour Constitutionally provided detention limit. Human rights are Universal, must be respected and protected. BACKGROUND OF SSHURSA: SSHURSA is an indigenous, non- political and non-profit making human rights organization founded on June 5, 2007 by South Sudanese lawyers and law students at Makerere Law development Centre (LDC), Kampala- Uganda. It is registered with the Republic of South Sudan’s Ministry of Justice. SSHURSA became operational in South Sudan in 2009 with its head office in Juba and co-ordination offices in the ten states. It membership- network composes of individuals and member organizations who believe in its rights protection mandate. SSHURSA vision is to build a democratic and human rights abiding South Sudan and with its mission to monitor, document and publish human rights violations and train general public on the importance of human rights, fundamental freedoms of individuals, rule of law and democracy all of which aimed at creating a more responsible, justice and good governance oriented South Sudan. SSHURSA objectively stands to protect the rights of other human rights defenders and speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. The organization works in strong partnership with South Sudan Human Rights Commission and other institutions whose mandate is geared towards protection of the universality of human rights. For Contact, reach us on: E-mail: [email protected] http://www.sudantribune.com/SSHURSA-DEMANDS-RELEASE-OF-EDITOR,40634 END3 4. Below is the article, published in The Destiny Newspaper on Wednesday, October 25, that is believed [by ST] to have triggered Ngor’s arrest. Nyan Bany By Dengdit Ayok Juba, the temporal capital city of our new born nation on Saturday, October 22, 2011 witnessed a disappointing social episode that was found disgusting and denounced by many patriotic South Sudanese across the country. Our revered and acclaimed President, Sir Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is one of the symbols of our long historic struggle and who is also a symbol of our sovereignty, dignity, integrity and source of our national pride, handed over his beloved-beautiful elder daughter (Adut) to a foreigner in a wedding ceremony held in the Catholic Cathedral at Rajaf. The wedding raised our eyebrows because we didn’t expect Nyan Beny (daughter of the President) to be married by a foreigner when many national suit her profile for marriage; this without saying that it matters not how long she may stay in her father’s house. A wedding as we all know is a social function that people go to cheerfully with women ululating. However, the wedding of Nyan Beny that took place last Saturday was attended by a small crowd of people with clouds of sadness gathered in their hearts as it was clear from their faces; because they were upset by the decision taken by the President to give his daughter in wedding to a stranger. The wedding that could have been attended by thousands of South Sudanese with elation and delight, to display their traditional dances and turn it into a national wedding like the British royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, was reduced to a very low morale standard function with the attendance of just a few government officials and a minute crowd. This wedding has not only shocked and angered members of Kiir’s family, but divided it and turned its peace into quarrels and squabbles, it has also shocked the whole nation; because Kiir is a patriotic leader that fought two wars for the wellbeing of his people, a thing which made him valued and highly respected by South Sudanese. But now that he has given his daughter in wedding to an alien, he has to some extent reduced himself in the eyes of his people. I am writing about about Adut`s wedding because my heart is in pain like the hearts of many zealous South Sudanese who have opposed it, and I am happy that I have a public platform to air out my wrath and the wrath of many fellow countrymen and women. By giving his daughter to a foreigner, our President has stained his patriotism and turned his leadership questionable in our eyes. This wedding is a demonstration that foreigners have not only monopolized our market, economy and robbed our integrity after penetrating it, but it is also a demonstration that they have taken over our national pride. What else is left if an alien could penetrate all the hedges and invade the house of our President, eloped and impregnated his daughter? Where were the security presidential personnel when that strange guy entered the house of the President? This wedding of the First Girl which is supposed to be blessed by all South Sudanese including this author is rejected and the religious leaders who blessed the couple in the house of God regardless of their knowledge that she had conceived, have committed a great sin against God for making unholy matrimony holy! http://www.sudantribune.com/Human-Rights-Watch-call-for,40633 END4 5. Breaking News: S. Sudan’s opposition leader arrested over rebel links November 4, 2011 (JUBA) — The Sudan people’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has arrested a key opposition leader over allegations linking him to the formation of a new rebel group fighting against the South Sudan government. SPLA spokesperson, Phillip Aguer, confirmed today the arrest of Peter Abdul Rahaman Sule, the leader of the opposition United Democratic Forum (UDF) on Thursday evening from an undisclosed location in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state. Sule is reportedly have started recruiting people, mainly youth, to join his rebel movement in Western equatorial. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Breaking-News-S-Sudan-s-opposition,40624 END5 6. South Sudan arrests opposition leader turned rebel Friday, 04 November 2011 Al Arabiya By AFP JUBA South Sudan has arrested a prominent opposition leader it claims was launching a guerrilla movement to topple the government, the new country’s military said on Friday. Peter Abdelrahman Sule, chairman of the United Democratic Front party, was arrested on Thursday in a “secret camp of guerrillas” near Jambo county, Western Equatoria state, after a small unit of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army “stormed his hideout,” military spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP. “They tried to resist and an exchange of fire took place” that killed two rebels and one SPLA soldier, Aguer said. “He started recruiting for an armed rebellion. His recruitment included some members of the army, including one major who disappeared from SPLA headquarters three weeks ago.” The major, whose first name was Emmanuel, was one of those killed in the shootout, while Sule “was arrested unharmed,” he added. Aguer could not say how many suspected rebels were believed by South Sudan’s military intelligence to have been recruited by Sule in preparation for an attack on the government, but he claimed many were young men. “The SPLA have been monitoring (Sule’s) covert actions from the time he was removed from the government of South Sudan one year ago,” he said. It is unclear why South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir dropped Sule from his government, or who was supporting his group, but his alleged transformation into a rebel leader has come as a shock. “Everyone is surprised... He fought along with us in the 21-year war and now he is launching a guerrilla war against the government of the Republic of South Sudan,” Aguer said. “He’s supposed to be a political leader, so I don’t know what happened,” said Lam Akol, leader of the SPLM-DC, South Sudan’s main opposition party. Sule was one of the champions of independence and fully supported a 2005 peace agreement that paved the way for South Sudan’s secession from the north on July 9. But he refused to recognize Kiir’s landslide 93 percent victory in last year's elections and claimed that the numbers proved the ruling party had interfered with the poll. Instability and corruption are considered two of the biggest challenges facing the world's newest nation, with the government still fighting numerous rebel groups within its borders. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/04/175465.html END6 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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