A state-owned television (SSBC) journalist arrested in South Sudan’s Western Lakes State for failure to cover Saturday’s launch of a feeder road by the state governor has been freed, a local official said.
The state minister for information, Majak Issac Ror told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that Gabriel Marual Chawuol was released on the orders of the governor on Monday.
“It is true that Gabriel Mabor Marual had misunderstandings with the governor of Western Lakes State at the time when the governor was having a visit to one of the feeder roads under renovations in Malual-akan residential area. So, this is why the governor ordered his arrest on Saturday, but now he has been released and will be travelling with me to Lol-manyiel for coverage in Marial-bek cattle camp where the governor is for collection of raided cattle,” said Majak.
The Greater Lakes State Journalist Association (GLSJA) chairman, John Wulu also confirmed the journalist’s release from detention.
He, however, condemned the information minister’s statement in which he described Mabor as an undisciplined journalist.
“I am asking the minister of information to justify as to whether he has provided transport to the SSBC cameraman. Also, since the event was done on a weekend, did he [minister] consider incentives and other special considerations for him”? He asked.
Wulu advised the minister to report all cases of indiscipline among journalists to the country’s media regulatory body.
According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 10 journalists have been killed in the country since 2011, while reporters still face "harassment and arbitrary detention."