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Lakes: 20 “tortured” inmates released from prison

30 April 2013
In News

April 29, 2013 (RUMBEK) – The government of South Sudan’s Lakes state has released 20 young men on Friday who claim to have been tortured and badly treated during their arbitrary detention in relation inter-communal violent of January.

Matur Chuot Dhuol was appointed as caretaker governor of Lakes state in January 2013 (ST)

None of the men were charged or had their cases heard in court before they were asked to pay the soldiers guarding them between 500 and 1,500 South Sudanese pounds to secure their release.

One of the men released from Langcok military prison – located in the northern part of Rumbek Central county – said: “at least we have see[n] who is our government – we suffer for nothing but we will wait good time to answer them at the right time in right manner.”

Dut Meen Malok said that he heard some of the 108 inmates crying both during the night and day.

“All of us were tortured and denied latrine or drinking water”, he said.

Only four of those held at the prison had been involved in the fighting that had triggered to mass arrests, he claimed.

“The government decide to collect people from river side and arrested them without even asking who was involved and who did not involve. There were people digging soil to sell to builder contractors as parts of their income to raise their family [who] were arrested. There were people making local tobacco at the river side [who] were taken into prison”, he said.

Malok said that the way they were treated inside prison was a signal that Lakes state does not a care for its own people.

“We have [a[ government of family and friendship that does not care for its ordinary people”, he said.

Prisoners went six weeks without bathing, he said, adding that they were only allowed out to use a latrine once a week.

“We were denied eating regularly, only bad food is given to us after four to five days and bad enough after two days people are beaten”, Malok said.

He said they were only released after their families paid a bribe to the prison guards to “secure our life. It was not [the] government who secured our safety”.

He said that one man had been particularly badly lashed and was now being treated at Rumbek hospital. There are now thought to be around 70 people still being held at Langcok military detention centre .

The government has recently begun arresting activists who questioned the legitimacy of caretaker military governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol. According to South Sudan’s constitution an election should been held within 60 days of Dhuol replacing the elected governor, however, this period passed over a month ago.

On Friday, MPs and activists told the the head of the United Nations in South Sudan of widespread human rights abuses and constitutional issues within the term limit of the new caretaker military governor. Recently five young men were set free from a secret jail in Rumbek.

A week ago, Lakes state government threatened to “crucify” critical journalists and activists.

The 20 pastoralists released on the 26 April were: