Authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State freed approximately 80 inmates from the overcrowded Aweil State Prison on Thursday, following a New Year’s visit by Governor Charles Dut Akol.
The release included women and juveniles detained for minor offenses, some for years without formal sentencing.
State Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Tereza Aker Malual, confirmed the release to Radio Tamazuj and stated she would return Friday to review and potentially discharge other detainees with minor cases.
“I have witnessed the release of women, young boys and young girls,” Malual said. “Some of the inmates have stayed there for three years without sentence, and others were arrested in the place of others, and that is unlawful.”
The governor’s visit and order for the releases followed what state police spokesman Lt. Col. Madut Ngong Aleu described as an annual custom during holiday celebrations.
“It is a custom for a sitting governor to conduct visits in all prisons during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and donate bulls to apprehended persons and pardon them,” Aleu said.
Local civil society groups welcomed the move to alleviate severe overcrowding.
Christopher Door Akol, manager of the Aweil Social Center, commended the government for “easing the crowd in the detention cells” and emphasized the need for reintegration support.
“The fact that the inmates are released means the restoration of their dignity,” Door said. “They should move and try to cooperate with the community.”
South Sudan’s justice system is plagued by chronic issues, including prolonged pretrial detention and unlawful arrests.