S. Sudan President speaks on detention of journalists ArticleComments (14). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 10, 2011 (JUBA) — South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, has justified the action of security services in the continuing detention of two journalists who were apprehended on 2 November. President of South Sudan, Sala Kiir (Getty/AFP)Kiir made the public address in the South Sudan capital, Juba, on Thursday. Sudan Tribune journalist, Ngor Arol Garang, also editor of the The Destiny and Dengdit Ayok, the paper’s deputy editor were arrested, following an opinion article the paper carried, which was critical of Kiir’s daughter’s marriage. In his first official statement on the matter, Kiir said "media freedom should not be abused to the extent of attacking personalities. In any case that will be defamation." Kiir said the journalists will, after investigations, be handed over to the police. He did not specify when. Different sources said the two journalists are held in a detention facility run by the security service in Juba since their arrest. "It is not a crime for a lady to get married to the man of her choice. Forceful marriage, like experience has shown, can sometimes be very disastrous. Why are you now complaining yet none of you applied to marry my daughter?" asked Kiir, amid laughter. Abraham Malek, senior editor with The Destiny’s Arabic language sister paper, said it published an apology to Kiir’s family for the article and suspended Ayok for a month. Neither Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan’s information and broadcasting minister, nor his deputy Atem Yaak Atem, were available for comment. Both local and international bodies have widely condemned the arrest and called upon the southern government to take immediate steps towards the release of the two journalists. Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders; Amnesty International; Committee to Protect Journalists; Association for Media Development in South Sudan; Community Empowerment for Progress Organization and South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy, have joined widespread condemnation of their arrest. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
