The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on South Sudan’s authorities to reveal the whereabouts of Emmanuel Monychol Akop, the editor-in-chief of the privately owned The Dawn newspaper.
CPJ said in a press release on Thursday that Akop had been detained since November 28 by agents of the National Security Services (NSS).
“South Sudanese authorities must bring editor Emmanuel Monychol Akop before a court, present credible charges or release him unconditionally,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York.
“South Sudan’s security agents have a reputation for running roughshod over the rights of journalists, and the arbitrary detention of Monychol further tarnishes an already dismal press freedom record,” she added.
The press release, quoting Moses Guot, a manager at The Dawn, and a person familiar with the case, explained that Akop was arrested after he responded to a summons to appear at NSS headquarters in Juba.
The NSS, it went on, told Akop’s family that they could not visit the journalist until investigations were complete but did not provide further details.
Rights groups have documented multiple allegations of abusing detainees in the NSS headquarters, known as Blue House.
“We are worried about his personal security,” Guot was quoted saying, adding: “They should allow us to see him, at least to know about his health, and that would be a good start.”
CPJ said NSS spokesperson John David Kumuri did not respond to a request for comment via messaging app but acknowledged its receipt on December 10.
Equally, the regulatory South Sudan Media Authority’s managing director Elijah Alier Kuai did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment via phone and messaging app.
Phone calls to Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth and the South Sudan Media Authority’s director general for information and media compliance Sapana Abuyi did not connect.
In 2019, Akop was arrested after he published a Facebook post criticizing minister’s dress on a diplomatic visit. He was detained for over a month and freed in mid-December of that year.