Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Religious leaders said they were deeply concerned by the closing space as a result of the arrest and detention of activists and critics, urging the government to enhance, protect the core civic freedoms to expression, speech and assembly.
Of recent, there have been reported arrests by security agents of associates of the so called People’s Coalition Civil Action (PCCA)an alliance of activists and government critics agitating for removal of the government.
There have also been the removal of some articles deemed sensitive from newspapers allegedly by security operatives at the printing press in the last weeks of last month.
In their statement after meeting on Thursday, the catholic bishops of the dioceses of Juba, Yei, Tambura-Yambio, Malakal and Wau, called on the country leaders to listen to the voices of the people, and strongly urged the government to protect the fundamental rights.
“We are concerned by the shrinking civic space in our nation. We call for freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of
speech and assembly, so that all voices might be heard,”said Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla the head of Catholic Church in South Sudan and Archbishop of the
Metropolitan Diocese of Juba, reading on behalf of his colleagues. In the days leading to August 30, which the PCCA had set for nationwide protest to force government to resign, civil society
activist Justoson Victor Yoasa, and Bishop Jackson Yemba of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan were arrested and detained inYei River County, Central Equatoria State.
“Our leaders must listen to the voices of the people as expressed in the National Dialogue and through the church, civil society and traditional leadership, and especially youth and women,” the religious leader added.
In Juba, staff of the policy think tank Sudd Institute were arrested and released after interrogations.Dr. Abraham Akec Awolic,one of the staff of the institute was involved with the group, PCCA.
The government has on several occasions argued that those calling for protest were agitating for anarchy, saying that the current situation in the country was fragile and that civil unrest would derail the peace implementation.
