Livio Bahara, the father of the UN radio journalist George Livio Bahara who has been held for more than a year without charge, wants to meet South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir over his son’s arrest.

Livio, who is a former mayor of Wau town in Western Bahr el Ghazal, told Radio Tamazuj that he plans to visit the country’s capital Juba in an attempt to meet top government officials including President Kiir in an attempt to secure his son's release.

The former state official further said some sources suggest that George is okay in the National Security custody, but he noted that family members have never been allowed to talk to him.

“They reassure us that he is okay, until now we don’t know his problem,” he said. “I want to go to Juba, if there will be a possibility, I will meet the president, I want to know what is his crime,” said the father.

In earlier statements, the defense lawyer for arrested UN radio journalist Monyluak Alor Kuol hoped that his client could be released when peace implementation starts, but nothing happened so far.

“They don’t tell us about where he is being detained, so peace is the only hope, we don’t have something in our hands because they are political prisoners,” attorney Monyluak told Radio Tamazuj.

Security agents arrested the South Sudanese journalist in Wau town on 22 August 2014 and have held him in the capital Juba ever since.

File photo: George Livio