Security forces in Yei River County on Sunday briefly detained 10 pastors for defying preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus.

The religious leaders were accused of gathering worshippers in violation of the recent presidential order banning large gatherings.

Richard Ali, the Dean of the Episcopal Diocese of Yei, told Radio Tamazuj that he and other religious leaders were beaten, harassed and intimated at the joint security operations base for several hours before they were released without charges.

He accused the local authorities of being against prayers.

 “I was got from my office on the church compound on Sunday, beaten and humiliated together with other pastors as if we were criminals. The issue of COVID-19 has become a source of harassment to church leaders and our role in this period is to prayer on behalf of the people who are staying at home,” Ali explained.

The church official accused the organized forces of violating human rights and freedoms of worship by the religious leaders in the county.

For his part, Amule Felix, the administrator for the now defunct Yei River State confirmed the arrest of religious leaders, but denied the alleged torture of pastors by the security forces.

“The joint operation or curfew team is not meant to torture people, arrest or torture people. They are to maintain law and order but it could be resistance from some people and with military, they always want to discipline. There was no torture of religious leaders. We want people to abide by rules on coronavirus prevention,” Ali explained.

South Sudan on Saturday recorded its sixth case of coronavirus.

Key symptoms of the new coronavirus include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. The virus is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets land in the mouths and noses of another person.

A person can also get infected with coronavirus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or their eyes.

The most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to frequently clean your hands, cover your cough with the bend of elbow or tissue, and maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from people who are coughing or sneezing.