A prominent human rights organization is calling on South Sudanese authorities to immediately release journalist Joseph Afandi or else to charge him with a crime before a competent judicial authority.

Afandi, a journalist with the ‘El Tabeer’ daily newspaper was arrested and detained by the National Security Service (NSS) on 29 December 2015. He is currently being held incommunicado at the NSS headquarters in Juba.

In a 'call to action' yesterday, rights group Amnesty International pointed out that Afandi's detention is believed to be in connection with an article he wrote criticising the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling party.

“The article was published in the ‘El Tabeer’ daily Newspaper on 23 December 2015. Though the NSS have confirmed that they have Joseph Afandi in their custody, they have not formally charged him with any offense or presented him before a competent judicial authority,” Amnesty stated.

“His family and lawyer have not been given access to see him or speak to him. They are concerned about his safety and wellbeing in detention. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment while in detention. The NSS has also stopped any printing of the ‘El Tabeer’ daily newspaper until further notice. The paper started publication in November 2015,” the statement adds.

Amnesty International encouraged its supporters to write to Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth calling for Afandi to be either charged or released and not to be ill-treated. Makuei's email address is makueimichael@yahoo.com.

South Sudan's National Security Service are also holding in detention George Livio, a journalist for the UN radio service.