12 youth escape from Lakes state military prison
April 20, 2013 (RUMBEK) – At least 12 youth, who were arrested on suspicion of involvement in inter-clan violence and detained Langcok military prison in South Sudan’s Lakes state, have escaped, officials told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.
The escapees were reportedly part of the more than 100 young men from the Kok sections of the Dinka tribe, who were arrested allegedly on orders of the state governor, Matur Chut Dhuol, following an inter-communal violence in February.
One of those who fled, in an interview with Sudan Tribune Saturday, narrated how they were allegedly tortured, subjected to various form of suffering and denied water while in detention.
“We are human beings and we deserve to be respected, we voted for them to be in power. Not everyone arrested in Langcok military prison had committed crime, [the] majority [of them] are innocent,” the escapee, who preferred to remain anonymous said by phone.
There is no indication those arrested will ever make a court appearance, while people are being beaten daily, he added.
Meanwhile the state government has now started a severe crackdown on families whose sons are said to have escaped from the military facility, with soldiers allegedly arresting some family members.
The governor, despite after sustained media coverage and pressure from activists, to open two other secret military prisons be opened at Ajakangou, located in the western part of its Cueibet County and Pulkuc, in Rumbek East.
Those arrested allegedly committed multiple crimes, ranging from murder, highway robbery and participating in cattle raids.
Dhuol, in an interview earlier interview with Sudan Tribune, in March, said only 5 youth were being detained at the Langcok military prison on charges of road robbery.
He however added an additional 100 youth from Kok section were arrested and are being detained, after allegedly participating in inter-communal violence that occurred in February. Ten others, he said, were arrested in connection to another raid on neighboring Warrap state.
Lakes state’s new caretaker governor, appointed in January to restore law and order to the state, has vowed that cattle raiding suspects will be held at secret prisons and not allowed access to their family, their own lawyers or human rights officials
The US-based Human Rights Watch, in a report released last year, deplored the poor state of South Sudan’s prisons, characterised by overcrowding, poor hygiene and inhuman treatment of inmates.
The report, also obtained by Sudan Tribune, raised serious questions about the country’s judicial systems, saying the majority of prisoners lacked legal representation.
(ST)