The County Court in Juba on Monday adjourned the hearing of the defamation case filed by Awut Deng Acuil, the Minister of General Education and Instruction to 15 November.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of South Sudan referred the case filed by Minister Awut against three youths representing the Luanjang Community of Tonj East County in Warrap State back to the Juba County Court.

In February 2021, youth from Luanjang Community represented by Marcelo Deng Magon, who was the interim youth chairperson at the time, wrote a letter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit accusing Minister Awut of intentionally barring primary eight pupils from areas of Tonj East County from sitting the 2021 Primary Leaving Examinations under the pretext of insecurity.

The general education minister then filed a lawsuit against Machiek Dongrin, Marcelo Deng Magon, the Interim Chairman of Luangjang Youth Union, and Tinjok Ruben Dhal, a medical student from Bahr el Ghazal University in February 2022 in a Juba court.

The lead lawyer defending the three youths, Kiir Chol Deng, told Radio Tamazuj after the adjournment of the case that the hearing has now been rescheduled for 15 November by Juba County Court Judge Lual Cuei because one of the defendants and the police investigator were not present in court.

“We were expecting the prosecution to proceed with this case but because the police investigator is not around and the third accused is absent, the judge decided to adjourn the case up to 15 November,” he said.

Over 1,732 pupils in SPLA-IO controlled areas missed the 2020/2021 examination cycle over insecurity in the seven counties of Akobo, Ayod, Fangak (old and new), Nyirol, Nasir, Longechuk and Tonj East.