UNESCO and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) have trained 20 South Sudanese police officers to respect and protect journalists.

The three day training taught police majors, captains, colonels, lieutenants, and sergeants on international conventions regarding freedom of expression, press freedom, and access to information. The trained officers will be abe to train other police officials in the same program.

"This timely training comes in the backdrop of increased cases of crimes committed against journalists and media houses in South Sudan and the killing of seven journalists in 2015," UNESCO said in a press statement.

James Dak, one of the police officers who participated in the workshop, said he and his colleagues learned that serious crimes are committed against reporters in South Sudan.

“I want to assure the AMDISS Chairperson, UJOSS chairperson and UNESCO, that such behaviour will not be allowed to happen," he said, referring to the Association for Media Development in South Sudan and the Union of Journalists of South Sudan.

Speaking on behalf of the Director of Training and Human Resources Development in South Sudan Police Unit, Brig. Joseph Manding said police have an important role to play in protecting and preventing crimes against journalists.

Alfred Taban, the AMDISS Chairperson said: “this training came just at the right time when journalists and security personnel need each other and also need to work together."

CEPO chairperson Edmund Yakani called on the Director of Police Training to include modules on human rights in particular safety of journalists and freedom of expression into the South Sudan Police training curriculum as a way of making concerns on freedom of expression become part and parcel of their training.

South Sudan security agents have closed three newspapers and a radio production group this year. Besides the seven journalists killed this year, at least one more remains missing.

Photo: (UNDP South Sudan)