Juba women’s prison relaxes rules
By Isaac Vuni
December 21, 2008(JUBA) – Young Christian students expressed surprise at being allowed into the women’s prison in Juba for the first time to conduct prayer together with imprisoned mothers along with twelve innocent children held with the women.
“Today is our first time to enter Juba central prison of women to share encouraging words of Jesus Christ with our dear mothers whose innocent twelve children are wrongly imprisoned with their mothers,” said the students.
There are 51 women in Juba prison in the capital of Southern Sudan, including one condemned, 28 convicted and 22 awaiting sentences. There are three foreigners from Uganda and Kenya and some of the women are pregnant either from since they entered prison or they arrived so.
The women have no uniforms but they are being overworked by the prison authority, complained one of warders who asked not to be named.
Meanwhile there is overcrowding in the men’s prison. Juba Central Prison was constructed in 1947 to hold a maximum of 300 inmates but now holds 807, including some orphans and juveniles ranging from seven to twelve years. The children are detained on alleged traffic offences, but there are indications that prison officers simply wanted to take over the children’s reformatory centre for officers training while accusing GOSS of failing to release funds for renovation and construction of a centre for juveniles.
Scopas Taban Lolabang, a former combatant SPLA engineer who lost his right arm in the field, urged prisoners to have faith in God for all their needs.
According to the prison chaplain, Pastor Alex Loboka Wota of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Juba prisoners lack reading materials such as Bibles, while the televisions have no power and the prison lacks an ambulance for transporting sick prisoners. He appeals to well-wishers to donate a motorbike for mobility, allowing him to visit hospitalized prisoners and encourage their families.
Pastor Wota also appeals to well-wishers to help in releasing a disabled person who is detained for the last three years without trial.
He also registered appreciation to the Government of Southern Sudan for allowing the religious community to daily preach the words of God without hindrance.
The St. Teresa Arabic choir brought six bags of sugar to give to prisoners while holy mass was celebrated by Fr. Julious Oling Wani, a former Juba convict who urged prisoners to become changed.
Prisoner Ebale Simon Ohuro, a 32-year old father of four children sentenced to five years on manslaughter charges, reportedly faces demands of payment of 3000 Sudanese pounds before his release, allegedly at the instigation of Commissioner Massimino Alam who is a relative of the victims.
Another prisoner, John Juma Tadeyo, a 45-year-old father of ten children and husband to two wives, was sentenced to five years in 2006 together with his three sisters. One died on December 19, 2007 and they were ordered to pay 3000 SDG. They appeal to well-wishers to rescue them and their neglected children.
Currently the Juba prison accommodates prisoners from all ten states of Southern Sudan, hosting 33 condemned, 317 convicted, 50 foreigners, 34 juveniles, 34 people detained as mentally unbalanced and 339 awaiting trial on various allegations including murder.
(ST)