Human Rights Commission Petitioned Over Judges’ Strike
Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, (CEPO) a civil society organization has petitioned the office of South Sudan Human Rights Commission (SSHRC) to lobby for solution to the grievances of the striking judges.
10 July 2017
By Jale Richard
JUBA, 10 July 2017 [Gurtong]-In a letter dated 5th July, CEPO Executive Director Edmund Yakani said CEPO is ‘disturbed by the continuous strike’ of the judges, which has paralyzed the judiciary.
“The strike is impacting negatively on the provision of justice to the citizens of South Sudan. It also seems to the public as justice delayed,” Yakani wrote in the petition. “CEPO is worried that some crimes and offenses that require urgent judge responses may be handled by customary courts or some citizens may take the law in to their hands.”
He urges the Office of the South Sudan human rights commission to lobby the office of the president to intervene to solve the grievances of the judges.
Nyuol Justin Yaac, Acting Chairperson of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission said his office received the petition by CEPO, but it had already petitioned the Office of the President two weeks ago for a solution to the grievances of the striking judges.
He said even if the situation is frustrating, ‘we have to wait for the response’ from the Office of the President.
This petition comes at a time when the strike of the judges is entering three months, with no indication of ending soon given Judges’ demands are not yet met.
Justice Khalid Mohamad Abdalla, Chairperson Justices and Judges Committee while announcing the strike said that the strike will continue until the Chief Justice Chan Reech Madut resigns or he is sacked by the president.
The judges accused the Chief Justice of mismanaging the judiciary that led to backlog of cases and congestion of prisons.
In addition to resignation of the Chief Justice, the judges are also demanding for provision of cars for justices and judges for their transportation; provision of stationeries and creation of conducive working environment, creation of rooms for every judge, provision of inmate trucks, and promotion of judges who came from Sudan, increase of salaries and other issues.
At the beginning of the strike, President Kiir formed a committee headed by the minister of justice and constitutional affairs Paulino Wanawilla to investigate the claims of the striking judges.
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