Nine young men released from Lakes state military prison
May 1, 2013 (RUMBEK) – Nine young men who have been detained since February in a secret Lakes state military prison were released last weekend after being forced to pay a fine.
Their release comes after 20 young men were also released from Langcok military prison – located in north Rumbek – on Friday in similar circumstances.
An estimated 100 people have been arrested since January under the regime of controversial new caretaker governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol as he attempts to deal with violence among pastoralist groups in the state.
The newly-released inmates said they objected to the special court process they had been subjected to and said they were unaware of why they had been arrested or why they were suddenly been released.
One of the inmates said that they were taken to Langcok military prison in February, while they were moving their cattle from Marial-bek to Puolbar. South Sudan’s army (SPLA) says it arrested them for moving cattle without permission to Puolbar.
Deng Mangar, who spoke to the media after being released, said that they spent 62 days inside a military cell. He repeated the claims of other inmates who escaped or were released that prisoners detained at Langcok are being tortured and unlawfully mistreated.
“At 2pm on Sunday, they released us”, he said, adding that during their 62-day detention they were taken to a special court in Rumbek Central county headed by traditional judge Anyijong Manyang.
At the hearing, the court ruled the nine men must pay a fine of between 500 and 1,000 South Sudanese Pounds.
“We never fought anyone. We just moved cows, children and elderly people to nearby government for protection”, Mangar said.
He said the men said they were “very confused” by the government’s actions. His group had attempted to move their cows to Puolbar cattle camp only to find armed men there who they suspected were from the Nuer ethnic group.
“We moved back our cows, children and elderly people to Marial-Bek which was the base of [the] SPLA stationed [there] to protect pastoralists”, he said.
However, to their surprise they were arrested by soldiers in the area after their return.
“We told them that we are running to stay with you so that you protect our cows and children from any raiders, [but] these soldiers didn’t listen to our demands, they abuse us”, he said,
“Our aim was to move close to army so that they could protect our wealth with our children and elderly people but they turn about face by arresting us”, adding that the government-backed disarmament process had left them powerless to combat violent cattle raids.
On his first day in detention at Langcok, Mangar says he received 50 lashes.
“They continued beating us and people are tied down in a group”, Mangar said.
He says that after they were detained, the number of inmates at the prison steadily increased on a daily basis.
Mangar went on to explain that the judge handling their case did not detail their alleged crimes or why they were required to pay a fine.
“We accept to pay this money because we see no system that cares [about] human being” he said.
Mangar claims he was also mistreated by the prison officer, whom he alleges also faced pressure from authorities to intimidate and threaten inmates.
“In Langcok prison, you are allowed to eat at 7pm and then you will be allowed to go for latrine at the same hours tomorrow”, said Mangar, adding that he had not been able to take a proper bath until after his release.
He said cells in Langcok were overcrowded and prisoners faced daily beatings, with guards often confiscating food brought by the inmate’s relatives.
“Help us – people are dying”, he said.
The government has reportedly transferred 120 inmates to another prison called Ngatinga, also known as Ajakangau, located in the Western part of Lakes state’s Cueibet county.
The nine men released from Langcok were:
- Marial Majok Mabuoc
- Marial Cadhuok
- Malok Majak Dit
- Madit Matek Agot
- Maniong Liapwel Machar
- Rorthok Dut
- Got Mangar Beny
- Deng Mangar
- Laat Mathiang Geudik
On Tuesday, Lakes state’s military caretaker governor visited Mabor-akan cattle camp with members of his cabinet to discuss peace and reconciliation between the Ajiak and Bhor community.
(ST)