A Juba County First Grade Magistrate on Tuesday rejected a bail application for activist and government critic Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak.
Earlier this month, lead defense counsel Kiir Chol Deng appealed to the presiding Judge Arkangelo Ladu for bail, but failed, a decision he claimed was informed by the fear of the unknown.
“The judge surprised us by denying the bail, yet his criminal defamation charge is bailable. We believe he fears the unknown and that violates his own judicial oath,” Chol told Radio Tamazuj after the court session.
He said the judge adjourned the session to August 8, noting that National Security Services’ (NSS) appeal against the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs quashing some charges against his client was granted, but they had also appealed against the decision to the Supreme Court.
“We were supposed to proceed with the hearing of our objection but he (the judge) refused and adjourned the case to August 8.
“Last week, we also filed a tribunal case at the Supreme Court and we expect the Chief Justice to form a penal within this week,” Chol said.
Mabior, a former refugee in Kenya, was abducted on February 4, 2023 in Nairobi and returned to South Sudan where he has since been detained by NSS, which refused to acknowledge that they were holding him until he was suddenly produced in court in April.
The activist is battling a defamation case in court brought by the security chief.