Safety and security of journalists is now a major constraint to media freedom in South Sudan, in most cases, journalists and media workers are harassed, intimidated, arbitrarily arrested and detained without trial. Some are killed by unknown persons. This Journalists and media observatory report shows incidents that occurred in the Month of August 2015 across the country.
1. 04.08.2015: Juba, Al Rai Newspaper was closed by South Sudanese National Security Service on allegation that one of the board member Mr. Lam Kuei left South Sudan and joined the opposition when he exactually went to Nairobi to visit his family.
2. 04.08.2015:Juba, Citizen Newspaper was closed by National security services without any written reasons following verbal instruction from the authority to the management to stop printing beginning from 5 August 2015.
3. 04.08.2015: Juba, National Security Service personnel shutdown Free voice office for allegedly hosting Radio Tamazuj. The security operatives ordered the staff to leave the office and lock the doors. The office premise is a shared space by Voice of America, South Sudan in Focus program.
4. 6.08.2015: Clement Lochio Lormonana, formerly a reporter with Gurtong Media Trust was arrested in Eastern Equatoria’s Budi County.
5. 15.08.2015: South Sudan President threatens to kill critical journalists for shaming the image of the country.
6. 17.08.2015: Bor, Security Operatives harassed a Journalist who was writing a story on public opinion on peace agreement that was signed by Dr. Riek Machar and Pagan Amun and the President’s reservation in signing the peace accord.
7. 19.08.2015. A journalist working for the New Nation newspaper and the Corporate Newspaper, Peter Moi Julius, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Jebel area of Juba on Wednesday evening.
8. 21.08.2015 Nimule, journalist was warned not to write any story for publication issues related to peace agreement.
