A humanitarian aid worker has been fined SSP 800,000 by a local court in Unity State’s Koch County for cybercrime after he criticized the resolutions of a meeting by elders of his community about traditional blood compensation on Facebook and WhatsApp.
Daniel Wal Tuol, an employee of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), was arrested last week and on Monday appeared before a local court presided over by Chief Stephen Manyang Ter.
The accused was found guilty of defaming his Norbor Payam community after he posted the resolutions of a meeting on blood compensation on his social media handles.
Wal was also sentenced to serve six months in prison but he told Radio Tamazuj that the whole court process was a charade because there was no complainant.
“My charge was meaningless because I was charged without facing the person who accused me of defamation,” he said. “The local court in Koch town fined me SSP 800,000 and six months in prison. I am even surprised because I was alone in the local court without my accuser.”
Wal lamented the double standards demonstrated by the local court, saying that he had earlier on been absolved of any wrong by humanitarian laws but only to be arrested on orders of the Koch County commissioner.
“There is no reason to charge me in the absence of my accuser,” he stated. “What happened is that the commissioner ordered the local court to fine me with SSP 800,000 and sentence me to six months in prison. They do not want me to face the person who accused me of defamation.”
For his part, Chief Manyang Ter admitted that he fined Daniel Wal Tuol Teny SSP 800,000 and sentenced him to six months in prison in the absence of a complainant. He said that the local court charged him for posting on social media resolutions of a blood compensation meeting agreed upon by community elders.
“We do not want someone who is educated to divide our people,” he said. “It is better for people who went to school to promote peace messages and not promote criminal activities within the community.”
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. James Tut Wal, the police director in Koch County, said the traditional court expedited Wal’s case after investigations confirmed that he defamed the community.
“I heard that he was charged with SSP 800,000 and sentenced to six months in prison by the local court,” he stated.