The high court in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State on Monday sentenced a 28-year-old man to death by hanging after he was found guilty of murder.

Jacob Kuol Kuol, shot his girlfriend identified as 17-year-old Adut Deng Tong on 6th July at Hai Salam residential area in Aweil Town after the deceased turned down his marriage proposal.

According to the victim’s lawyer, Garang Akook Ngor, the death penalty was announced on 14th September 2020 in the presence of the president of the high court in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state Abraham Majur, Attorney General David Uthu Uthuon, and lawyers from both sides. 

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Akook said the accused had planned the murder as he narrated the circumstances around the murder.

“The accused is a soldier in Juba. He was in a relationship with the girl but she refused to marry him. So, he came from Juba and went to the girl’s home on the morning of the 6th and tried to talk to the girl. But when she refused to talk to him, he took his gun and shot her three times, and also shot three other girls who were trying to help the girl. this was premeditated,” he explained.

However, William Kuol Maduok, the defense lawyer, said they were not satisfied with the ruling and plan to appeal the court’s verdict.

“We have a right of appeal within 15 days from the date of the sentence. We have concrete reasons for consideration which we will present to the appeal court,” he said.

The verdict now awaits its confirmation by the Supreme Court and the President before it is executed.

In South Sudan, the Penal Code provides for the use of the death penalty for murder; bearing false witness resulting in an innocent person’s execution or for fabricating such evidence or using as true evidence known to be false; terrorism (or banditry, insurgency, or sabotage) resulting in death; aggravated drug trafficking; and treason.

Rights groups including Amnesty International, have been pressuring the government of South Sudan to repeal the death sentence saying it is the most fundamental denial of the right to life proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.