SPLA trial of rape crimes is mockery, says Rights body

[Elisabeth Janaina]

SPLA trial of rape crimes is mockery, says Rights body

CRNTuesday, May 30, 2017 - 17:43 

The trial of the SPLA for a crime of rape by the SPLA is a mockery and pretense of justice, says South Sudan Human Rights Observatory. The body says it is outraged and not surprise by the insincere attempt by government to use a “sham trial” as an excuse for its inaction. 

It says South Sudan is a country where alleged rapists walk free in decorated military colours while political protesters are imprisoned, tortured and killed. 

The Human Rights Observatory adds that civil society organization activists are falsely accused of scandalous crimes and detained for years or exiled. It says rape is a central war strategy applied by the SPLA. It is unlikely that the same military can carry out a thorough, independent and effective investigation and conduct an honest, impartial and professional prosecution, the Human Rights Observatory doubts. 

The Observatory calls for urgent international investigative means with resources and expertise to carry out thorough and effective nation-wide inquiries of sexual violence. The findings should form a basis of internationally supervised prosecution of the perpetrators. 

South Sudan Human Rights Observatory is a network of South Sudanese and non South Sudanese volunteers together document, report and disseminate reliable and information about human rights violations.