Another activist ‘hiding’ from state security operatives urges gov’t to respect, uphold freedom of speech

JUBA – Another activist in Unity State who is hiding from state security operatives has urged the national and state governments to respect and uphold freedom of expression, saying he has fled into hiding because he is being hunted down for urging President Slava Kiir to remove Governor Joseph Manytuil.

Elijah Luk, an activist who sought to organize peaceful protest against governor Joseph Manytuil and presidential security advisor Tut Gatluak said Governor Manytuil’s security operatives have been hunting for him in Juba with an intention to transport him to Unity State and possible harm him.

“Currently I am hiding from the government of Unity State because the Unity State coordination office in Juba has deployed security operatives against me in order to transport me to Bentiu and harm me there just because I have exercised my right to freedom of speech,” Luk told Sudans Post on Sunday from an undisclosed location.

He urged the government in Juba to coerce the state government to respect citizen’s right to freedom of expression which he said is provided for in article 24 of transitional constitution 2011 as amended.

“The government has to give freedom of expression to his citizens in order to exercise constitutional and democratic power of the people of South Sudan without subject to death or denial of people’s right to freedom of speech,” he said.

“We also urge the state government to respect the citizens right of expression as stated in the transitional constitution’s article 24,” the activist added.

The activist said he is the leader of protest organizers including activist Kalany Bolies Kueth who is also in hiding in Bentiu after state security operatives breached the Bentiu IDP camp in collaboration with the joint police force mandated to protect the camp after the departure of the UNMISS peacekeepers.

“I am their leader in Juba and those arrested people are my team in Bentiu, they were arrested after they failed to get me and my colleagues Kalany Bolies,” he added.