The South Sudan National Security Service (NSS) on Friday released journalist Jackson Ochaya after nearly a year in detention on accusations of having links with rebels.
On September 1, 2020, Ochaya, a reporter with the privately owned No. 1 Citizen newspaper, went missing in Juba and was later confirmed to be held at the National Security Service headquarters.
In an August 25 news article for No. 1 Citizen, Ochaya included a comment from a spokesperson of the National Salvation Front (NAS), a rebel group fighting South Sudan’s government. The news article was titled, “Army Accuses NAS of Illegal Gold Mining, NAS Denies.”
Ochay’s arrest without clear charges was widely condemned by rights groups and media freedom organizations.
“Actually Jackson Ochaya was arrested last year by the National Security Service over a story he balanced with the NAS and the government forces. Today I am very happy that he has been released after I received a call to witness his release,” Kiden Stella, Editor-in-Chief of No. 1 Citizen Newspaper, told Radio Tamazuj.
The editor called on the government of South Sudan to respect the work of journalists in South Sudan to enable development in the country.
“Let us build our country together, journalists are this country’s friends, they are not enemies. Also, I appreciate the family of Jackson Ochaya because they have been very patient,” she said.
Patrick Oyet Charles, President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), welcomed the release of journalist Jackson Ochaya saying journalists are very important in South Sudan especially in the time of peace.
“We are very happy as a union about the release of our colleague Jackson Ochaya, who was arrested before we were elected into the UJOSS office. The release gives a lot of hope to people and we thank the authorities because so many releases of detained journalists are happening now,” he said.
Members of the press in the world’s youngest nation have suffered through years of a deteriorating media environment, including censorship, intimidation and violence. Government institutions frequently interfered in editorial matters and called journalists in for questioning.
In April, Reporters Without Borders released the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. South Sudan ranked number 139 out of 180 countries, dropping one spot from last year’s ranking of 138.