The Big Black Dark Day in the fight against dictatorship, abuse of rule of law and human rights in South Sudan
By Biel Boutros Biel
“We are sound minded people and we cannot be bullied to follow a failed system run by officials who are unable to deliver services. Our people did not rally behind our freedom fighters during the years of liberation cause to secure a failed system”
Citizen Editor Nhial Bol, Friday, July 17, 2009, The Citizen Daily, Vol. 4, Issue No. 196, page 2
Dear Colleagues, family of the late and fellow citizens in South Sudan and world over,
As I write at this time of the night, I am filled with sadness and grief because I learned that the fearless and long time democratic governance advocate brother Isaiah Abraham (Diing Chan Awuol) has been murdered at about 4am on December 5, 2012 at his Gudele house in Juba.
If you google in his name, you would get how the man has been at forefront of events wishing that South Sudan should be governed on principles of rule of law and NOT THROUGH A RULE OF MAN!
Isaiah held from Twic East County in Jonglei state but the hours which sealed his peaceful critical mouth and darkened to fallen blood his penmanship will remain not just a most sad memory to the entire Twic East Community, neither for Greater Bor Communities nor people of Jonglei state but a fundamental sad history in the fight for a democratic governance, advocacy for human rights and rule of law abiding country. December 5th, shall remain the most darkest day in South Sudan and forever for on this day, a symbol of hope has been murdered while the state looked on!
Brother Isaiah in my view and a view I will hold forever, come what may, was, is and shall always remain a symbol of justice, peaceful critic for the advancement of democracy and rule of law. His silence is a blow to the fight for freedom of speech and expression and the dark bloody hour of his fall, marks the declaration of the closure of aspirations for which South Sudan took up arms for against dictatorships of Khartoum regimes.
Isaiah is physically gone but his words and works documented over the world on internet shall remain as great encouragement for all of us who have understood where we have come from and where we need to go
.
One greatest mistake his killers must not make is to assume that the death of Abaham marks the end of the fight against dictatorship, tribalism, corruption, nepotism, useless and hopeless politics of power wrangles in South Sudan.
No, instead, to us who know what he stood for and what he has been saying, it is just the beginning of a new chapter in the fight and strungle against injustices, dictatorship and all evils that have buried the better reasons for which South Sudan took up arms for against Khartoum.
In short, South Sudan political leadership must give public and family of the fallen hero Isaiah Abraham answers as to who killed him!. This is too much!.
Brother Abraham, you have died physically but the just war you fought in the bushes and through your penmanship will live on for generations beyond our time. In death and life, I would remain honouring you for you were, you are and will always remain a symbol of hope, justice and encouragement to us who have not yet fallen into the darkness of dictatorship and incompetence we have found ourselves in.
Your blood remains a sacrificial lamb for a just cause and Abraham, I assure you my brother that we will peacefully fight on towards true and democratic govenance; advocacy of which cuased you your life!
Thank you for dying for truth and justice, your character, courage and spirit for a better governed nation are above the whimps and evils planned to eliminate you by your killers.
Rest in peace brother and our lord is the Holy Lord who stands with those who speak out for the helpless poor majority who are cheated, deceived and coerced by the powerful in the corridors of power!
To my colleagues, my words to you are the words of the German Theologian Martin Niemöller. In his youth he was an anti-semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold of Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was. It was not just the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view. Niemöller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated in the Sachsenhausen and Dachauconcentration camps from 1937 to 1945, and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, he wrote a poem which is this below:
“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me”
Thank you Isaiah for speaking out for those who could not speak for themselves! People may forget you but history will repeat you and haunt your killers forever!
I thank you and honour you my brother for standing up for the truth up to the moments of your permanent physical absence among us!
Family of Abraham; courage, Abraham died for a just cause and the shame will remain on those who will cover up and give stupid-blanket denial over his killers!
Biel is the Executive Director of theSouth Sudan Human Rights Society For Advocacy (SSHURSA) a non-political and non-profit making organization founded in 2007.