Detained Citizen TV journalist released
June 5, 2013 (JUBA) – A journalist from South Sudan’s independent Citizen Television station who was detained on Tuesday by security agents has been released without charge a day after being taken into custody.
Following his release, Mundu told Sudan Tribune he had been questioned in relation to two articles published in The Citizen newspaper last month.
He said he told security officials he had nothing to to with the publication of the articles as the paper falls under different management.
Mundu did not provide further details on the nature of the articles in question.
Aken linked the incident to the 30 May raid on the offices of The Citizen newspaper and its television station, which were allegedly attacked “at gun point” by a security agent.
Aken said he believes the incident was also linked to an alleged directive by South Sudan’s security service, restricting the media from covering the political activities of the country’s vice-president, Riek Machar.
“They [security agents] have taken him [Mundu] to their headquarters in Jebel Kunjur. They are of course going to intimidate him so that he stops broadcasting activities involving [the] vice-president. This is what they are up to”, The Citizen boss told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.
“They are after their agenda which is to censor us from covering activities involving [the] vice-president”, he added.
A government official later confirmed the incident, saying he was present when security personnel arrived at the station and demanded that Mundu stop what he was doing at the time and accompany them to their headquarters.
Sudan Tribune was able to contact the journalist while he was still in detention, who confirmed that he was unharmed and being held by security services for interrogation.
A senior official at the ministry of information and broadcasting service said at the time they “had no information” about what he considered “normal summon[s]”, adding that he had personally received a call from The Citizen newspaper’s management following the incident.
The latest incident comes as South Sudan’s security services on Friday reportedly ordered management of the state-owned South Sudan television (SSTV) to refrain from covering activities involving Machar, a source told Sudan Tribune, although the vice-president’s press secretary has denied the claims.
There are fears among president Salva Kiir’s supporters that Machar may be considering a bid to become the chairperson of South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM), putting him in a prime position to be the party’s candidate for the 2015 presidential elections.
Kiir recently withdrew various executive powers from his deputy, including removing him from chairing a conference on national reconciliation due to be held in the young nation.
(ST)