A civil society activist said national security forces detained him for several hours in South Sudan’s Jonglei State Friday.
Juuk Othana Mading said he was also tortured while in detention.
“I was arrested by NSS [National Security Service] in Bor with directives from the governor. I was arrested because of the letter I submitted to the office of the governor on 27 February. The letter is about the arrest of 15 civilians. They were detained for the whole night, beaten, fined and released without charges,” said Juuk, who heads Jonglei Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (JIPDD), an advocacy group.
The activist further said he was held at Block 4 detention facility in Bor town for nine hours. “I was arrested at 9 am and released at 5 pm,” said Juuk.
“They released me on condition that I report back after three days and that I go along with the civilians who were arrested,” he added.
The activist decried what he described as the worsening human rights situation in the state and urged state authorities to respect civil rights, investigate violations and punish perpetrators.
JIDD, in a February 27 letter addressed to the governor, expressed outrage over arbitrary arrests of civilians, including a journalist, by security agents.
The governor of Jonglei, Philip Aguer, however, said he was unaware of Juuk’s arrest, but insisted that his government was investigating the alleged reports of the arbitrary arrests in Bor town.
Three men were last month arrested by national security agents for allegedly mobilizing Jonglei residents to join an armed rebel group.