Lakes state authority deny complicity in police beating incident

By Manyang Mayom

January 20, 2011 (RUMBEK) – The government of Lakes state have captured four policemen officers who were ring leaders in the beating of citizens on 14 January in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state. A number of people were beaten by policemen in the market due to what police described as the wrong dress and long hair.

Speaking in a press conference from his office on 19 January, Lakes state governor Chol Tong Mayay condemned the act, saying that the policemen involved were, “untrained police who were given provisional graduation to handle referendum security” and that the majority of the culprits are now in Lakes state prison.

The governor of Lakes state distanced himself from complicity in the events of 14 January, saying that he did not give the order to beat the citizens.
Tong affirmed that “there was no motive behind the incident, it was totally ignorance, they were the untrained police which we used to help us in keeping the security, as you have observed, they were not carrying arms, they were just carrying sticks, it was just a part of the training that they have to be exposed to, to become police, then they took law into their own hands, they beat up a girl and as a government we have regret for what happened; there was no such directive and we regret and condemned this act and now measures are being taken against them [perpetrators]”.

Lakes state police commissioner Saed Chawul Lom said did not give the order to police to beat members of the public in Rumbek market at random.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune, Lom said that “this is sabotage; we have no laws that prohibit dress or long hair in Rumbek town – this act by this policemen was at their own risk and measure are now being taken against them – there is an investigation going on now and we will take them to court”.

According to Lom, “we did not give any order to administer a beating, we don’t have sharia law in this state – we have nothing to do with dress such or long hair – we are now looking for the victims, to open cases against the police and we will take them to court – we have arrested these policemen and they are under police control – this is sabotage being committed by this officers”.
This is not the first time the Lakes state police has beaten its citizens without due cause; in the 2007 – 2009 term of former Governor Daniel Awet Akot, people were beaten without reason on the street.

Under sharia law, which is implemented in northern Sudan, and is a cause of conflict, dress code is dictated by law. However, laws impacting upon people’s personal lives are a matter of dispute; Lakes state youth leaders from various youth organisations across the eight counties of Lakes state are campaigning against Lakes state customary law, which sentences youth to ten years incarceration if they impregnate a woman outside wedlock.

(ST)