Iran Press/Africa: This is a welcome move, but Salva Kiir should go a step further and release those held without charge in violation of international law and investigate all allegations of abuse and torture of detainees.
According to News 24, Some detainees were subjected to harsh beatings, electrocution, and other forms of torture. “We were all beaten thoroughly,” said one man detained by the National Security Service (NSS) in Juba for almost two years. “I even broke two discs on my backbone. They beat our backs, buttocks, thighs. I could not sit even for some days.”
Since the outbreak of South Sudan’s conflict, government security forces, particularly its national security agency, have consistently targeted people seen to oppose the government based on their political opinion and not criminal acts. These include journalists, human rights defenders, and members of political opposition groups. They are often held for long periods – years, in some cases –without access to lawyer or family visits.
If South Sudan’s government wants to turn a new page in the country’s history, it should not only release those unlawfully detained by its security forces but take serious measures to end all arbitrary detentions, disappearances, torture, and other abuses and ensure those responsible are held to account.
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