The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) has voiced concerns about the disappearance of Emmanuel Monychol Akop, the editor-in-chief of The Dawn Daily English Newspaper, following his alleged arrest by the National Security Service (NSS) last month.
On 28 November, officers believed to be from the NSS visited The Dawn Daily Newspaper office in Juba, held a meeting with Akop, and subsequently took him into custody without presenting an arrest warrant. Since then he has not been heard from.
Patrick Oyet, President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), emphasized that South Sudanese law mandates that any individual arrested be brought before a competent court within 24 hours.
“At the moment we do not have any official information,” he said. “What we have is informational information. His whereabouts are not known and people only suspect that he is in the Blue House [NSS Internal Security Bureau (ISB)].”
The newsman’s arrest has sparked concerns about the unchecked powers of security operatives by design of the National Security Service Act 2014, which was amended this year and allows arrests without a warrant. The passage of the law drew criticism from local and international human rights organizations and press freedom advocates who warn that it could undermine civil liberties and press freedom.
Akop’s arrest adds to a troubling trend of harassment of media practitioners in South Sudan.
NSS spokesperson John David Kumuri did not respond to questions sent via WhatsApp at the time of this publication.