US envoy demands immediate re-opening of Juba newspaper
February 5, 2015 (JUBA) – The United States ambassador to South Sudan, Charles Twining on Thursday expressed outrage at the government’s decision to close The Nation Mirror newspaper and demanded that the Juba-based English daily be re-opened “immediately”.
“We urge the government of South Sudan to allow The Nation Mirror to reopen immediately,” he said.
South Sudan’s National Security Services (NSS) ordered closure of the daily newspaper after seizing copies of its Tuesday edition.
Wol Deng Atak, the newspaper’s editor, said closure of the English daily followed unsuccessful attempts to explain to authorities a story it wrongly reported last month.
“Due to typing error, the title of The Nation Mirror main story on January 28th 2015 gave impression that SPLA have withdrawn from Renk garrison,” he said in a release.
“The following morning, on 29 January 2015, The Nation Mirror editorial team and it administration extended an apology to the gallant forces of SPLA and the entire readership of The Nation Mirror,” added the release extended to Sudan Tribune.
The Nation Mirror had earlier been criticised by security officials for publishing a headline that allegedly caused panic among citizens. Its chief editor was summoned by security officials for questioning in line with what had appeared in the newspaper.
The top US diplomat, however, said he was unhappy over the government’s decision.
“I was very unhappy to learn about the government’s closure of The Nation Mirror,” he said, describing the decision as an “intimidation and harassment of journalists,” he said.
Since the start of the South Sudanese conflict in 2013, tensions between the media and authorities have been high since with several arrests and detention of journalists.
Despite last year’s passing of its long-awaited media law, South Sudan ranked 124 out of 148 countries in the press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders said in 2014.
(ST)