S. Sudan Parliament bans journalist

February 12, 2012 (JUBA) – A journalist has been banned from covering proceedings in South Sudan’s national assembly, after an investigation committee allegedly found him guilty of violating the assembly’s code of conduct.

Lawmakers who attended the session, chaired by the speaker, James Wani Igga, also demanded that Mading Ngor, a reporter with Bakhita Radio hands over his identity card to security officials at the assembly.

“I complied with all these demands, […] I was asked to leave the assembly premises and never step there again,” Ngor told Sudan Tribune.

The assembly’s decision after Ngor was allegedly assaulted on 6 February by security personnel when he was accused of sitting in the assembly chambers, instead of the journalists’ gallery.

Following the incident, Joy Kwaje, the chairperson for the information committee in the assembly vowed to investigate the matter, only to backtrack the following day; accusing Ngor of a series of crimes. He expressed his support for the action taken by the security personnel.

It remains unclear for how long the journalist will be barred from the assembly.

Lately, the relationship between the assembly and the media fraternity has been fraught. In December 2011, a group of journalists who convened to cover a debate on insecurity in Juba were evicted from the assembly on orders of the deputy speaker, Daniel Awet Akot.

South Sudan, which became an independent country in July 2011, has not created clear rules on the conduct of the media and press freedom.

The relationship between the South Sudanese media and the government has been the subject of international scrutiny when Ngor Garang, a Sudan Tribune journalist, was detained without charge after the publication of an article in The Destiny newspaper critical of the daughter of the president of South Sudan Salva Kiir for marrying an Ethiopian man.

Ngor and his colleague both claim they were assaulted while they were detained. Human rights groups described their treatment as illegal.

The incident was one of many in 2011, indicating that the young country is still struggling to live up the ideals it fought for in decades of war with North Sudan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report last year.

(ST)