12 juveniles suspected in the death of a young boy in South Sudan’s Jubek State are expected to appear in court this week.
The accused juveniles from Walalang village are alleged to have murdered their fellow teenager from the village of Tigri during a fight between two groups of juveniles from the two villages. Teenagers from the Tigri village were accused of starting the fight on 6 February.
Godfrey Victor Bulla, executive director of the Justice and Human Rights Observatory (JAHRO), a group offering legal aid for free to those who cannot afford the services of a lawyer, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that the 12 juveniles were arrested for causing the death of one of the juveniles.
He further said the 12 young boys were arrested on 25 February, pointing out that investigations by the relevant authorities have already been completed.
According to lawyer, the case has been refereed to court for trail.” The juveniles were transferred to Juba main prison under remand on 9 April. They contacted us for legal representation on 20 April, and we have considered them after they have met our criteria,” he said.
Godfrey further said that they have contacted their partner law firm Home for Justice and Legal Service to proceed with the case jointly with JAHRO.
He complained that the 12 juveniles between the ages of 13 and 17are confined in one place with the adults in the main prison.
The lawyer said that his team has already requested the court to transfer the file from Mudiria court to Juba main prison.
The human rights lawyer complained that one of the juveniles in jail is suffering from hepatitis B that needs medical attention urgently.