South Sudan parliament votes new criminal law
Nov 2, 2006 (JUBA) — The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) Legislative Assembly has ratified the Southern Sudan Criminal Code that draws its legislature from the 1974 criminal law, the SPLM/A criminal code and traditional laws.
Tor Deng, the Deputy Speaker of the GOSS Assembly pointed out that this is the first such law for southern Sudan. He said that the law also incorporates international human rights issues and will soon be enacted in southern Sudanese courts.
on the other hand, the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Southern Sudan (JOSS), Ambrose Ring Thiik, announced the completion of appointments of all judges and justices in the 10 states of southern Sudan during the second governors’ forum in Juba.
“Next week, I am going to visit all 10 states of southern Sudan to see to it whether the judges and justices are pertaining good protection and work according to the laws provided by the JOSS and the Ministry of Legal Affairs of the Government of Southern Sudan.” Thiik warned the governors that they have heavier roles in ensuring the judges are fully integrated into the state’s legal system in comparison to officials within the southern government.
“The role of judiciary of southern Sudan is to see to it that all citizens are bounded by the laws of southern Sudan and that the judges implement them from article to article. If we don’t follow the order of the judiciary the international community will view our government as a disabled one, if we aren’t able to rule ourselves,” he said.
(Juba Post)