Warrap: Journalist arrested for opposing provincial orders
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June 13, 2013 (JUBA) - Authorities in South Sudan’s Warrap state have
detained a journalist for opposing a recent provincial order against
playing of cards in the region, relatives told Sudan Tribune.
PNG - 26.3 kb
The order, issued by the state deputy governor, instruct police to
close down all youth hangout places, claiming most young people were
engaged in unproductive activities.
Gabino Kiir, the deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly said
Makuac Akot Ngongdit has been in detention, since Tuesday.
“He was arrested allegedly for criticizing police for arresting over
100 youth groups, whom authorities rounded on Friday. The state model
transitional constitution permits authorities to issue provincial
orders in the absence of parliament,” Kiir told Sudan Tribune by phone
Thursday.
He did not, however, mention which provision within the state
constitution empowers authorities to issue such an order.
The deputy speaker, who visited the journalist in prison, too admitted
that police detained the latter for allegedly criticising the recently
issued order.
“I went to the prison where he is held. He is fine. I talked to him. I
wanted to know the actual cause of arrest”, the legislator said.
South Sudan, which became independent in July 2011 as part of the 2005
peace deal that ended decades of civil war with north Sudan, still
lack functional media legislation.
Over the last five months, however, the Union of Journalist in South
Sudan (UJOSS) says it has documented more than 10 cases of arrests and
detentions, due to the absence of media laws in South Sudan.
A recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found
that local journalists fear officials in the current South Sudan
government, still harbour a war mentality that is unaccustomed to
criticism, and thus not prepared to extend the freedoms they fought
hard to attain.
“We are still recovering from a war culture,” Oliver Modi, the UJOSS
chairperson told CPJ in September last year.
"There is just too much ignorance toward the press. We are not used to
systems, structures—even the media,” he added.
South Sudan, according to the annual press freedom index published by
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) in January, stood at 124 out of the
180 countries ranked.
(ST)
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