Amet Kuol, a jailed member of the Warrap State parliament, has refused to eat until authorities explain why he was arrested despite parliamentary immunity.
Amet was arrested on Friday with Ariech Mayar Ariech, chairman of the information committee in the state parliament, by government operatives allegedly acting on the directives of the state governor Nyandeng Malek.
Speaking Saturday from Kuacjok, several relatives and legislators said Amet refused to eat since he was arrested on Friday afternoon by security services.
“Honourable Amet did not eat since yesterday. He has gone on a hunger strike. This is causing tension because of his health,” said Deng Kuol, a local official and Amet’s relative on Saturday.
Relatives of the two men claim to have been denied access to the jailed legislators. Governor Malek, in a letter to security services ordering the arrests, accused the two legislators of organizing a demonstration by residents of Malek Gummel in Kuacjok town.
The demonstration is apparently meant to protest worsening living conditions in Warrap, including a rise in hunger, despite 3 million dollars’ worth of credit recently extended to the state government by national authorities. The loan was meant for purchasing and transporting in order to stabilize local markets which have experienced price increases.
The governor also alleged that the two lawmakers engineered a strike by students at Kuacjok’s secondary school. However, a student denied that they had gone on strike, saying they had only sent a letter to the ministry of education expressing their grievances.
Deng Kuol condemned the arrest of the legislators, saying it was unconstitutional and illegal.
“We have no other way when facing a broken government but to let go our bodily desires,” he said. “We are saddened by the abuse of power and misuse of security services to do the work of police.”
The 2011 transitional constitution of the Republic of South Sudan states that no criminal proceedings or charges shall be initiated or undertaken against any legislator without permission from the speaker of parliament in the event of “serious crime.”
Their arrest is the second incident in which the Warrap state governor is accused of ordering arbitrary detention of members of parliament perceived to be critical of the performance of her administration. In 2011, Dominic Deng Mayom, a member of parliament from Tonj North County, was arrested allegedly for sabotaging political activities of the governor and her administration.