Activists Justoson Victor Yoasa and Guya Robert Antipas who were arrested on the 24th of August 2021 have been released without charges after spending two months in a military detention facility in Yei town of Central Equatoria State.
Justoson Victor, the Executive Director of Yamora, a national NGO, and his programs manager Guya Robert were arrested by the army's military intelligence unit on allegations that they were coordinating and mobilizing mass public demonstrations on the 30th of August 2021 spearheaded by the People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA), a body demanding President Salva Kiir Maryardit to step down.
The two were released last Tuesday after Bishop Jackson Yemba of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Simon Latio a university student were released on Monday. The religious leader and the student were also detained for the same allegations.
A family member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal told Radio Tamazuj that both Victor and Robert were set free after they apologized in writing to the police and the county commissioner on Tuesday.
"It is my pleasure to announce the release of two of my colleagues who were picked off on the 24th of August 2021 and it’s a pleasure to see them being set free without charges," the source said. "Now they are not psychologically fit and they are not in good health. Victor is suffering from malaria and Robert is suffering from eyesight complications and I can see their fundamental human rights have been violated."
The source further called for justice for the four who were detained and released without access to justice.
For his part, Yei River County commissioner Aggrey Cyrus Kanyigwa confirmed the release.
“They have resolved to accept the apology presented to my office by Justoson Victor Yoasa for being implicated in the case of mobilizing the citizens of Yei to support the PCCA demonstration which was set to be on the 30th of August 2021. We have resolved to pardon him and his police case shall be suspended unless they again get implicated in further activities of PCCA,” Cyrus said.
Several human rights activists and observers said the press freedom and freedom of association and assembly is shrinking in Yei River County as most active and dissenting voices are monitored and threatened by security agencies in the area.