AMDISS Regrets Arrest and Detention of Destiny Editors
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PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION ASKING FOR OUR COLLEAGUE NGOR GARANG TO BE RELEASED AND PASS THE LINK ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND CONTACTS.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/release_ngor_garang/
AMDISS Regrets Arrest and Detention of Destiny Editors
“AMDISS urges the security services to respect and operate within the rule of law,…”
08 November 2011
PRESS RELEASE – Destiny Newspaper shut down by security services
The Association for Media Development in South Sudan, AMDISS, has learnt with dismay the arrest of a journalist and editor of Destiny English daily newspaper, Ngor Garang, on Wednesday 2nd November 2011. Reportedly, Mr. Garang was arrested by the Security services for an article that appeared in Destiny expressing an opinion.
To date, since his arrest on 2nd November, Mr. Ngor Garang still remains in detention without being charged pursuant to any press freedom offences that are defined by law. Furthermore, the deputy editor in chief of Destiny, Mr. Deng Ayok, reportedly the author of the opinion piece that sparked off the arrest of the editor, has also been detained and the Destiny paper was shut down.
AMDISS is very concerned by the intervention of security services to shut down a media outlet without any recourse to ‘due process’ for handling press and broadcast complaints. This regrettably is coupled with the long detention of alleged offenders of press freedoms without bringing any charges against them before the courts of law in South Sudan for journalistic offences.
AMDISS urges the security services to respect and operate within the rule of law, and further urges the Government of South Sudan and the National Legislature to prioritise passing overdue media legislation bills to protect press freedoms and bring into legal effect ‘due processes’ for press and broadcast complaints handling on journalistic or defamation offences.
AMDISS therefore calls for the immediate release from detention of Ngor Garang the chief editor of Destiny, and Deng Ayok his deputy. The security services have every opportunity to bring before courts any lawful charges against the Destiny newspaper without indefinite detention of the editor and his deputy for journalistic offences (which are not criminal in nature).
Paleki Matthew Obur
Media development Officer, AMDISS – Juba
+249955111126 | +249922043793
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION ASKING FOR OUR COLLEAGUE NGOR GARANG TO BE RELEASED AND PASS THE LINK ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND CONTACTS.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/release_ngor_garang/