A police officer in South Sudan capital’s Juba has threatened the chief editor of Beitna newspaper over a story regarding policemen who stormed Gudele police post to release a detained colleague.
Editor David John told Radio Tamazuj that, Beitna, a Juba-based paper reporting social activities and crime, reported that a 777 emergency response police unit stormed the Gudele police post in an attempt to release a colleague who was detained since 27 November.
The detainee was reportedly held in custody on suspicion of shooting randomly. David said a 777 police officer requested he apologize for reporting an incorrect story, but he refused.
“I have refused to apologize because the story is correct, so he was irritated,” David said. “He said, ok, if is like that we are still around in Juba, so this is threat, it should be taken seriously,” the editor said.
David added that the newspaper’s management is following some procedures with regard to the threats without giving further details.
The 777 police are an emergency response group of the national police in Juba supported by the United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with the UN Mission in South Sudan and funded by donations from the Japanese government.