Amnesty International, a global human rights advocacy issued a statement expressing fear that the fate of the two detained South Sudanese citizens may have been at stake, saying their family members have unabled to reach them for a very long time, sparking fear may have been tortured or badly handled.   

The group named  Anthony Nyero and James Lual, staff members of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), whom it feared  may have been subjected to enforced disappearance by South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS).

Family members, according to the advocacy group, have not had any contact with them since January 2016.Their last known place of detention was an NSS facility in Juba town, along the bank of the Nile River.

Anthony Nyero is an UNMISS staff member and was working in the Civil Affairs Division, based in Torit. The NSS arrested Anthony Nyero on the evening of 17 September 2014 in Torit at the Old Market. He was immediately taken to Juba and detained at the NSS riverside detention facility. In June 2015, he was transferred to the NSS headquarters in Jebel. In January 2016, he was transferred back to the NSS riverside detention facility.

James Lual is an UNMISS security guard. He was arrested by the NSS in Wau on 23 August 2014, and taken to Juba the next day. He was initially detained at the NSS riverside detention facility. In early 2015, he was transferred to the NSS headquarters in Jebel. In January 2016, he was transferred back to the NSS riverside detention facility.

It explained that both Anthony Nyero and James Lual have been subjected to torture or other ill treatment while in NSS detention. They are accused of supporting or being in contact with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) but not charged with any criminal offence or presented in court.  “Their current fate and whereabouts are unknown as, since January 2016, family members have been denied all contact with them. UNMISS was last granted access to visit them on 18 December 2015 and, despite repeated requests to the authorities, has not been provided with information about their whereabouts or the charges against them”, it said in a statement.

 The advocates asked for support to ensure the detained citizens are either release or taken to a competent court of law to answer for allegations before their lawyers

It urges South Sudanese authorities to provide information about the fate and whereabouts of Anthony Nyero and James Lual and to allow them unrestricted access to their family members and UNMISS. It also called for immediate release of Anthony Nyero and James Lual or notify UNMISS of the evidence and charges against them as required by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA);

The petition seeking support for wider attention urged  the citizens and sympathizers  to ensure that Anthony Nyero and James Lual are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment while in detention, and that they are allowed access to lawyers of their choice and adequate medical care;

It called for end to arbitrary detentions by the NSS, particularly in the Jebel headquarters and the riverside detention facilities and initiate prompt, effective and impartial investigations into NSS detention practices, including enforced disappearances, deaths in custody, torture and other ill-treatment, to publicly disclose the findings and to hold perpetrators accountable in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.