The Commissioner for Human Rights at the German Foreign Office, Christoph Strässer, says that he is “shocked” by the killing of journalist Peter Julius Moi and is concerned by efforts to “persecute and intimidate” South Sudanese journalists and suppress the truth.
In a statement issued on Friday, Strässer said he was “shocked to the core” by the killing of Moi.
“Peter Julius Moi’s assassination follows hot on the heels of unacceptable attempts to intimidate journalists and the closure of ‘The Citizen’ and ‘Al Ray’ newspapers by the Government of South Sudan at the beginning of the month,” he added.
“This gives me great cause for concern. It cannot be that people who are committed to peaceful coexistence, transparency and the truth are persecuted and intimidated.
Strässer called on the South Sudanese government to respect the freedom of the press, opinion and speech and to ensure that journalists are free to practice their profession without risk to life and limb.
“Suppressing an open debate is counter-productive particularly with regard to the national peace process in South Sudan,” said the senior German official.
Photo: German Permanent Mission to Geneva