FCAEA STATEMENT ON SOUTH SUDAN JOURNALIST ARRESTS, KILLINGS

The Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa joins the Committee to Protect Journalists and others in calling for the release of our colleague, South Sudanese journalist Alfred Taban, and in condemning the murders of Internews reporter John Gatluak Manguet and government cameraman Kamula Duro in the recent fighting in Juba.

Taban, the highly-respected editor-in-chief of the English-language daily Juba Monitor, was called to National Security Service headquarters on July 16. Colleagues and local media report he has been held since without charge, while Reuters reports that he was detained for articles criticising the country’s leaders.

The unlawful detention of Taban adds to the grave concern of the FCAEA following the killing of South Sudanese Internews reporter John Gatluak Manguet, pictured above, and government cameraman Kamula Duro in the recent fighting in Juba, amid mounting reports regarding the targeting of journalists.

We urge the South Sudanese authorities to allow Taban and the Juba Monitor to continue publishing freely. This latest arrest also draws attention to the detention of Radio Miraya journalist George Livio, who has been held since 2014, and we also call for his release. For FCAEA members looking to join the campaign for their release, consider using the following hashtags on your social media feeds: #‎FreeAlfredTaban #FreeGeorgeLivio #JournalismIsNotACrime

Journalists reporting in South Sudan face considerable obstacles to their own security, which is ranked as 140th worst nation for press freedom out of 180 countries worldwide.

For more information, please contact board@fcaea.org.