Harassment, detention and torture of a South Sudanese Journalist
By: Rom B. Ruac
I was deeply shocked to have come across an article written by the Citizen
newspaper dated Saturday February 26th, 2011 on detention of one
of the South Sudanese Journalist, the Editor-in-Chief of the Citizen
Newspaper for four hours by the Police and the Security personnel after
inhuman mistreatment of its driver on a mission to Torit for normal
distribution of its daily newspapers.
While celebrations of the landslide victory of Secession continue in/out
doors of South Sudan in a dignified, transparent, free and fair
internationally supervised Referendum. This historic land marks which was
acknowledged and accredited not only by African Regional organizations but
entirely through out the world at large was a result of fruitful Job well
done by the South Sudanese media house, artists and folklore cultural groups
besides political and civil organizations. Imagine, the Referendum exercise
being the centurion Icon of the CPA implementation modalities having been
the last bullet that by and large had collectively re-unified South Sudanese
eligible voters (young, old, organized, unorganized, elected and non
elected, civil servants and business classes) in one hand despite
intensified cracked seeds of discord over tribalism, ethnic, nepotism,
political, social Injustices and frequent grievances on rights and freedom
violation of a common man in the Region.
Please, allow me to acknowledge the positive role played therein by the
Editor- in- Chief of the Citizen newspaper Nhial Bol Aken during this multi
Interest conflicted era of the Sudan. The Journalist Bol appeared and proved
by regular wise articles at his daily column “Straight talk” to be
one of the veteran Sudanese Journalists who had fought a hard and
unforgotten war with the National Congress Party (NCP) until he was nick
named “Jail bird of Jalaba” for attainment of rights and fundamental
freedoms of Southern Sudanese and other marginalized people of Sudan.
Therefore proved him as a die hard separatist, majorities of marginalized
people of Sudan including the writer have notion and dream that if soldiers
(who always die for others to live) and civil servants got on Job promotion
on incredible performance at workplaces, after the July 9th,
2011, veteran Journalists like Alfred Taban, Nhial Bol, William Ezekiel,
Edward Lado Terso, Michael Koma, Atem Yak, Dr. Thou Loi, James Gatdet Dak,
Thomas Tut etc, the Southern Sudan artists and musicians Like Gordon Koang,
Emmanuel Laso, John Junubi, Emmanuel Jal, Ms. Nyankor, Ms. Boyoyo, Ms.
Nyapal Lul, Sister J, Lomorica, Duop Pur, John Kuduse, JKP, Nyachan, Mr.
Awillo 2 or Chikil Marada, Ms. Chol Lam, DJs and Rasta family should be
highly honored and be awarded golden Medals by would be the first National
government of the Republic of South Sudan for the great contribution in
historical artists and Nationalist affluences that promote black destiny in
Sudan and Africa as a whole in spite of detention, torture, discrimination,
terror, raiding, humiliation and Injustices as were the dark and dooms days
of Mundukirats. The artists, various cultural folklore groups and media
house had weighted and rebuff coercive resistances towards the so called
forceful Islamization and Arabization policy in Sudan and had successfully
conquered and confined their wider extension through out entire Africa
Region.
The people of Southern Sudan deserve appreciation and humble respect
as African Nationalist Icon by all the fifty four African Nations and
one hundred and ninety three Countries in the World for confinement and
subjugation of Islam and Arabism in Sub Sahara Africa for the last fifty
years, otherwise, Sudan which hosted Osama Bin Laden, for many years would
have been the second strong hold of terrorism after Middle East.1
Mr. Nhial Bol was once put behind bar in October 2008 on his article
‘critical of high salary practices in GOSS Legal affairs.’ I do not
understand why Institutions resort to imprisonment of Journalist when truth
turned bitter and on the other side of the coin, it’s the ideal way of doing
official businesses in GOSS Institutions. We should not arrest Journalist
for our own making but rather change inculcated mental corrupt behaviors
towards better develop South Sudan.
The other major achievement by the artists, media and civil society
organizations was the re-unification of South Sudanese for the first time in
its history during the awareness campaign of the Referendum exercise at
grass root and various communities where secession was opted for by over 98%
of eligible Voters registered through out the carter centers worldwide.
The Sudanese Arab were right to keep writers like Nhial Bol, Alfred Taban,
South Sudanese University Students and other freedom fighters behind bars
for the fact that their society is chant of Arab and Islam jeopardizing
rights and freedoms of giant, smooth skinned and marginalized indigenous
Sudanese Africa for more than five decades. I thought these freedoms
fighters should be granted with a special status to exhale respiratory of
inculcated cultures of tortured and discrimination and inhale their stolen
rights and freedom in a free environment until the would be Republic of
South Sudan gets membership in both Regional and International Organizations
where human right principles, fundamental freedoms and International
Humanitarian Laws treated audaciously by members States.
Contrary enough, some police officers went on grasped by taking laws into
their hands as used to be in Jungle laws. What is that hidden secret not at
the knowledge of the media house in this young Nation of South Sudan? Stop,
stop, harassing, Journalist. Sooner or Later, we may find it hard to get
membership in International Organizations should we continue abusing right
of speeches. I am confident to myself; there is no secret in this current
system of governance with International community being the best advisor to
domestic and International affairs of Southern Sudan. One of the conditions
to claim membership of a United Nation or any one of the International or
Regional Organizations is to be free of human rights abuses, violations of
fundamental freedoms, refrains from abrogation of the rule of good
governance and respect for signed International treaties. A direct question
posted to the Leadership of Internal affairs ministries, what are we going
to tell Member States in the next four months after recognition of South
Sudan as a new nation when your Leadership is detaining, torturing,
abrogating rights of speeches and rights of free and fair trails in South
Sudan? Have you forgotten that Human Right Watch is at your door in defense
of this innocent Journalist for mistreating his driver and office raiding?
The GOSS Minister of Information and Broadcasting said “What happened to the
Citizen Newspaper was an isolated incident,” How come the incident remain
isolated when the three Identified suspects officers were not immunity free
or brought to book for trails against the Newspaper administration?
Journalist Bol Aken was right to challenge the Leadership of Law enforcement
agency in the government of Southern Sudan for the fact that there were and
still are looming questionable challenges in the current Leadership of
Interior Ministry. Some of the solid and tangible questions in the mind of a
common man included Police officers, with uniforms and AK 47, attempted
several times to walk into the Bank of Southern Sudan (BOSS) and the Kenya
Commercial Bank (KCB) in order to raid liquidity of the Southern Sudan!!
Where do such criminal officers get uniforms, ranks and rifles to raid
within the heart of the Regional Capital city? Why the United Nation Mission
in Sudan suspended its financial Aid of nearly 1 Million US dollars for the
Police training Centers at Rajaf, Southern Sudan? Why should we recruit more
than seven thousand Police from ten states without fix monthly salaries like
the rest of GOSS Institutions?
A senior Police Officer once said on South Sudan TV in a Press conference
early this year that community security is a collective responsibility; the
civilian is entitled to catch the Police and bring him/her to Court cited
‘that Police is a criminal’.
In general understanding, the Police is a special organ in any system of
governance to keep laws and Orders whereas Soldiers are kept for
International boundary Invasion or actions that directly touches sovereignty
of a State. Where on earth do we have civilians catching well armed polices
for Judgment! Have you ever caught a living snake or awaken one time a
sleeping dog? With that expression by a Senior Police Officer, I came back
on life sense to prove some writers right in what they termed as ‘Southern
Sudan heads toward a fail State.’ This
in the long run may lead us to a State where every citizen is free by law to
re-arm his/her self in order to protect life and properties; but yet, the
unfinished curse would be the blood of thousand who met God’s death during
disarmament exercises in the last five years. Should they (civilians) not
have learnt from Editor in Chief of Citizen Newspaper experience to get the
Immunity of three officers lifted by either the Minister of Interior or the
Inspector General of the Police? I thought the Senior Police officer would
have acted quick over the issue in order to cement his statement right to
the public by lifting Immunities of the three suspected officers behind
mistreated Citizen Newspaper’s driver and detention of its Editor-in- Chief
for four hours and later released on bail without trail; a great
humiliation!
Though there are no Media Laws in Southern Sudan, any personal attack
against a senior government Political post holders must be pursuit formally
by law and the case be immediately filed against the writer or
administration of a Newspaper so that the Law takes its cause on defamation
rights. Should the suspected Political Post holder resort to court, he/she
must have his/her immunity relieved by a Presidential decree from current
political position, to appear before court and when wins a case, he/she must
have his/her immunity restore and thereafter deserves defamatory charges by
the other party; this is always the case in a transparent system of
governance where citizens abides by and lives under the rule of law.
Recommendations:
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law enforcement in the government of
Southern Sudan should be engaged in laying down policies, plan to initiate
mediation with the government of National Unity on the future of South
Sudanese prisoners in various parts of Northern Sudan after recognition of
Independent comes July 9th, 2011 of whom majority have casted
their vote for secession of Southern Sudan.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs should be fully engaged in drafting rule of
law bills to be incorporated in ongoing draft National constitution of the
government of the Republic of Southern Sudan because the rule of laws in the
old system of governance in Sudan was a Sharia-based approach, it may take
time for the Ministry of Internal affairs to take into account the efficient
rule of Laws in the new era. Moreover, International Humanitarian Laws be
incorporated into the Constitution for immediate International recognition
of the new Nation
The Ministry of Internal affairs should speed up the Citizenry dialogue with
the North so that Immigration Policies in the Republic of Southern Sudan is
taken care of and immediate National Identification is put in place right
after declaration of Independent to get ride of Islamic attached documents
The Ministry of Internal affairs should engage traffic Police forces with
driving opportunities and trained the work forces in Modern car searching
skill techniques for effective and smooth traffic operation Policy in the
new Nation to be born on July 9th
The GOSS Ministries of Internal affairs, Finance and Economic Planning
should come out with a Joint tax collection Laws that traces and punishes
millions of tax revenue in pockets of individuals for National Wealth and
invest on oil revenues to encourage agricultures and non-oil revenues
sectors
The Ministry of Internal affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of SPLA
affairs should provide adequate security surveillances in all the high way
roots connecting States and Neighboring Countries so that robbery and car
hijacking practices cease etc……
______________________________________________________________________
The writer is a South Sudanese Citizen living in Southern Sudan and can be
reached at:
romruach@yahoo.com
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