South Sudan security officer threatens private TV station at gun point
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Elisabeth Janaina
May 31, 2013, 9:18:45 AM5/31/13
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South Sudan security officer threatens private TV station at gun point
May 30, 2013 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese security agent on Thursday
raided, at gun point, offices of the The Citizen newspaper warning its
television station against relaying news on the political engagements
of the country’s vice president, Riek Machar.
JPEG - 13.8 kb
South Sudan President Salva Kiir (R) and his deputy Riek Machar (file/AP)
President Salva Kiir, now on a state visit to Japan, recently withdrew
various powers from his deputy, including removing him from chairing a
conference on national reconciliation due in the young nation.
Machar, one of the officials who saw off the president at Juba airport
on Wednesday, is reportedly considering a run for the chairperson of
the South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) at an upcoming meeting.
Nhial Bol Aken, The Citizen’s managing director, told Sudan Tribune
that a member of the security services visited his office and
"demanded [that] all programs should not be broadcast before they
[security organs] know about our reports".
The security agent said it was a directive from the "headquarters",
but did not specifiy of what institution, Akeen said Thursday, adding
that security officers had last week warned his reporters "not to
report on certain issues without consulting them or those relating to
the activities relating to the vice president".
"The security officer was furious and went to our station and
threatened the manager at gun point. He told the manger point blank
not to publish anything relating to the vice president," said the
veteran journalist.
With Kiir in Japan, Machar remains South Sudan’s acting president
until the former returns, making it hard for the media not cover his
activities.
"I do not understand how it will work as the vice president is
currently the acting president and there is no way we can avoid
covering activities relating to the national issues, since he is now
the acting president", Akeen said.
He further stressed that such a directive should have been officially
made rather than through informal threats.
"It should be in a meeting or put it in writing so that it becomes
official instead of coming with threats and attack. What they are
doing is an attack on freedom and public right to access information”,
he said.
The Citizen boss, however, said he suspects the security agents who
came to their offices were acting on instructions from individuals
within the security institutions, who plan to restrict the media from
covering certain issues; especially those relating to current power
struggle within the SPLM leadership.
Meanwhile, the government has denied it plans to restrict media
activities in the country. It also claimed it had no information on
the incident at the The Citizen television, but vowed a follow-up of
the matter and act on those involved.
“I am not aware of this information and we will find out who of the
security personnel were involved”, a senior officer in the office of
South Sudan’s national security minister said Thursday.
The officer, who did not want to be identified, said he was sure South
Sudan’s security minister, Oyai Deng, was "not aware" of such a
directive, but advised media outlets to excise responsibility while
writing or broadcasting news.
Journalists in South Sudan often complain that the security services
are forcing the young nation’s press to self censor their coverage of
events relating to actions of the security services, human rights and
corruption. The media is now also being barred from covering
activities related to the vice-president’s activities, since the
Kiir-Machar row erupted recently.
Last week the US envoy to Juba, Susan Page, said her government was
"very concerned about the deteriorating levels of press freedom" in
the South Sudan.
"The continued push back, intimidation and harassment of journalists
is a violation of their rights and freedoms,” she said last Friday.
Page’s remarks came after the Committee to Protection of Journalists
(CPJ) wrote an open letter to president Kiir asking him to address the
deteriorating state of press freedom in two-year-old nation.
"We urge you to use the power of your office to ensure that
journalists are allowed to work freely without harassment and censure
from state security officials", the letter says.
CPJ said it documented at least 12 cases of “attacks, harassment, and
detention” of journalists in South Sudan in past six months.
“In all but two of the cases, security officials were the
perpetrators. Security agents, including police, have routinely
harassed, intimidated, and occasionally detained journalists,” the
letter said.
Threats against the press not only violatte South Sudan’s constitution
but also the values the ruling SPLM said it was fighting for during
decades of civil war.
This year’s press freedom rankings published by Reporters Without
Borders saw South Sudan drop 12 places from 124th to the 148th worst
country on the list.
(ST)
May 30, 2013 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese security agent on Thursday
raided, at gun point, offices of the The Citizen newspaper warning its
television station against relaying news on the political engagements
of the country’s vice president, Riek Machar.
JPEG - 13.8 kb
South Sudan President Salva Kiir (R) and his deputy Riek Machar (file/AP)
President Salva Kiir, now on a state visit to Japan, recently withdrew
various powers from his deputy, including removing him from chairing a
conference on national reconciliation due in the young nation.
Machar, one of the officials who saw off the president at Juba airport
on Wednesday, is reportedly considering a run for the chairperson of
the South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) at an upcoming meeting.
Nhial Bol Aken, The Citizen’s managing director, told Sudan Tribune
that a member of the security services visited his office and
"demanded [that] all programs should not be broadcast before they
[security organs] know about our reports".
The security agent said it was a directive from the "headquarters",
but did not specifiy of what institution, Akeen said Thursday, adding
that security officers had last week warned his reporters "not to
report on certain issues without consulting them or those relating to
the activities relating to the vice president".
"The security officer was furious and went to our station and
threatened the manager at gun point. He told the manger point blank
not to publish anything relating to the vice president," said the
veteran journalist.
With Kiir in Japan, Machar remains South Sudan’s acting president
until the former returns, making it hard for the media not cover his
activities.
"I do not understand how it will work as the vice president is
currently the acting president and there is no way we can avoid
covering activities relating to the national issues, since he is now
the acting president", Akeen said.
He further stressed that such a directive should have been officially
made rather than through informal threats.
"It should be in a meeting or put it in writing so that it becomes
official instead of coming with threats and attack. What they are
doing is an attack on freedom and public right to access information”,
he said.
The Citizen boss, however, said he suspects the security agents who
came to their offices were acting on instructions from individuals
within the security institutions, who plan to restrict the media from
covering certain issues; especially those relating to current power
struggle within the SPLM leadership.
Meanwhile, the government has denied it plans to restrict media
activities in the country. It also claimed it had no information on
the incident at the The Citizen television, but vowed a follow-up of
the matter and act on those involved.
“I am not aware of this information and we will find out who of the
security personnel were involved”, a senior officer in the office of
South Sudan’s national security minister said Thursday.
The officer, who did not want to be identified, said he was sure South
Sudan’s security minister, Oyai Deng, was "not aware" of such a
directive, but advised media outlets to excise responsibility while
writing or broadcasting news.
Journalists in South Sudan often complain that the security services
are forcing the young nation’s press to self censor their coverage of
events relating to actions of the security services, human rights and
corruption. The media is now also being barred from covering
activities related to the vice-president’s activities, since the
Kiir-Machar row erupted recently.
Last week the US envoy to Juba, Susan Page, said her government was
"very concerned about the deteriorating levels of press freedom" in
the South Sudan.
"The continued push back, intimidation and harassment of journalists
is a violation of their rights and freedoms,” she said last Friday.
Page’s remarks came after the Committee to Protection of Journalists
(CPJ) wrote an open letter to president Kiir asking him to address the
deteriorating state of press freedom in two-year-old nation.
"We urge you to use the power of your office to ensure that
journalists are allowed to work freely without harassment and censure
from state security officials", the letter says.
CPJ said it documented at least 12 cases of “attacks, harassment, and
detention” of journalists in South Sudan in past six months.
“In all but two of the cases, security officials were the
perpetrators. Security agents, including police, have routinely
harassed, intimidated, and occasionally detained journalists,” the
letter said.
Threats against the press not only violatte South Sudan’s constitution
but also the values the ruling SPLM said it was fighting for during
decades of civil war.
This year’s press freedom rankings published by Reporters Without
Borders saw South Sudan drop 12 places from 124th to the 148th worst
country on the list.
(ST)
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