The lawyer representing Juba Monitor’s editor-in-chief, Anna Nimiriano, said the court hearing scheduled for today has been adjourned because the relevant files were held up in the Court of Appeal.
Anna Nimiriano was arrested and remanded to Juba Central Prison last Tuesday for allegedly defying a court order suspending the operations of the Juba Monitor newspaper. She was released on bail last Friday pending a court hearing today, Monday 25 April.
On 12 April, the High Court suspended activities of Juba Monitor and its legal vehicle, Grand Media Africa Company Limited (GAMCO), over a case in which the family of the deceased founder, Alfred Taban, and other shareholders are locked.
Lawyer Lazarus Yugu told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the court hearing was postponed.
“No! This court (hearing) will not take place today because the files are still in the Court of Appeal,” Yugu said. It will probably take place later this week. You guys (journalists) will be informed.”
Efforts to contact Becu Lagu, the lawyer of late Alfred Taban’s family were futile as his known telephone went unanswered.
Eva Alfred Taban, the daughter of the founder of Juba Monitor declined to comment when contacted because she said the matter was in court.
“I cannot speak to you on the ongoing court case but I can share with you our family lawyer’s number. Maybe he can assist you with more information,” she said.
Nimiriano, when contacted, also confirmed the hearing would not take place today.
“The file is still in the Court of Appeal and the lawyer is there. It seems this case cannot take place today because for the case to take place, the files have to be transferred back to Kator Court,” She said. “Up to now, the file is still in the Court of Appeal because I called the lawyer and this is what he told me.”
Relatedly, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) have called for the immediate reopening of the Juba Monitor.
Oyet Patrick Charles of UJoSS and Edmund Yakani of CEPO said that the newspaper employs dozens of journalists across South Sudan and that it should remain open as the parties pursue their case in court.
“As UJoSS, we are concerned that journalists who work at Juba Monitor now have no jobs and that means they do not have income,” Oyet said.
He also described the closure of the English newspaper as a denial of information to its daily consumers.
Mary Ajith Goch, the former Chairperson of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) called on all parties to respect the legacy of the late Alfred Taban.
“Juba Monitor and the GAMCO should remain focused on its vision and mission because that benefits all of us as it keeps the legacy of late Alfred Taban,” Ajith said. “There should be no one with the intention that Juba Monitor should not appear in the market because it is a memory to most of us in the media.”