Two human rights organizations are calling for the South Sudanese National Security Service to apologize for detaining journalists, saying the security agency has acted illegally to restrict freedom of expression.
“The Minister of National Security should make a formal and public apology for detentions,” stated Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, saying the security agency has “intimidated, harassed and detained journalists.”
The human rights organizations said that the National Security Service (NSS) “has carried out unlawful arrests and detentions contributing to undermining freedom of expression,” according to a paper dated 1 August.
The rights groups on Tuesday renewed their call for the security agency to apologize after the detention of a Catholic radio journalist in the South Sudanese capital for nearly four days this week.
Radio journalist Ocen David Nicholas was detained early on Saturday and released Tuesday, two days after the expiry of the 24-hour time limit for the government to either release a detainee or bring him before a public prosecutor or magistrate as proscribed under article 64 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Representatives of both human rights organizations, speaking on Tuesday, said they continue to call for the National Security Service to apologize for illegally detaining journalists. The human rights workers said that the security service still has not made any apology since they began calling for it on 1 August.
This comes soon after National Security agents extracted an apology from the Catholic radio station for airing an opposition statement about fighting in Unity State last week.
One of the human rights workers commented that the National Security Service should be apologizing to media, not media to the security.
The human rights organizations also say the Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth should retract an announcement he made earlier this year that radio stations should not broadcast interviews with representatives of the opposition.
“Minister Makuei should formally retract his statements made earlier this year to the effect that journalists should not broadcast interviews with opposition forces,” the human rights groups stated.
Makuei is yet to comment to Radio Tamazuj on the arrest of the Catholic radio journalist in Juba. The acting director in his ministry, Paul Jacob, said only, “I do not want to talk about this because I have not been informed.”
Madut Wol, the Director of Information in the National Security Service, likewise has made no public remarks on the recent detention of the Catholic journalist. But the Catholic Radio Network reported that security agents privately accused the journalist of being a “a rebel collaborator” and a “traitor.”
The National Security Service (NSS) is headquartered in Juba and controlled by the SPLA-Juba faction, one of two warring parties in South Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The security agency reports to Salva Kiir, the commander of SPLA-Juba.
File photo: Obutu Mamur Mete, South Sudan National Security Minister (Gurtong)
Related:
South Sudanese journalist’s arrest linked to reporting on fighting (19 Aug.)
South Sudanese journalist spends 3rd day in detention without charge (18 Aug.)
Timeline: media struggle in South Sudan (18 Aug.)