Authorities in South Sudan have released two more journalists from the state television network arrested in January following the publication of a video considered insulting to the country’s president, Salva Kiir, in which he could be seen urinating in his pants during an official event.
The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) said in a statement published on its account on the social network Facebook that those released with Victor Ladu and Mustapha Osman, before calling for the release of two other reporters who are still under arrest.
UJOSS calls on the government to release Garang John and Jacob Benjamin or, if they have to answer to any case, be brought before a court,» said the president of the union, Oyet Patrick Charles.
Among those arrested in January were the director of the control room of the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), Joval Tombe, a content editor and several cameramen and technicians who were reportedly present during the event and recorded the images.
The video, which went viral on social media, shows Kiir urinating in his pants during a December event in the capital, Juba. The images sparked a debate about the president’s health.
South Sudan has a unity government that was launched following the materialization of the 2018 peace agreement between Kiir and hitherto rebel leader Riek Machar, who returned to the post of first vice president of the African country as a result of the agreement.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
