The ruling was delivered during the court’s 97th session at Freedom Hall in Juba, where judges dismissed the prosecution’s request to replace oral testimony with written defence statements for the remaining accused. Prosecutors had argued that the change would help expedite the proceedings.
By rejecting the application, the court ordered that the remaining defendants continue presenting their defence through oral testimony, maintaining the existing trial procedure.
Following the ruling, the court resumed the examination of the third accused, Gatwech Lam Puoch, a member of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) representing Nasir County on the SPLM-IO ticket.
During the hearing, the judges questioned Gatwech about a press conference held on 19 February 2025, asking whether it had been his personal initiative or a collective action.
In response, Gatwech told the court that the press conference had been conducted by members of the National Legislature, indicating that it was not solely his initiative.
The court also sought clarification on the circumstances surrounding his arrest. Gatwech testified that he was not detained immediately after the press conference but was arrested on 11 March 2025.
Questioned further about the seizure of his mobile phones, the lawmaker alleged that security officers confiscated the devices by force during his arrest.
He also told the court that his phone password had been obtained under coercion by a National Security officer whom he identified as a cyber security officer and a prosecution witness identified in court as Witness No. 12.
With the examination of the third accused concluded, the court adjourned the trial until Monday, 20 July 2026.
When proceedings resume, the fourth accused, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Acting Chief of Staff of the SPLA-IO and Deputy Chief of Defence Forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), is expected to continue presenting his defence before the court.
The trial stems from the March 2025 arrests of Machar and several senior SPLM-IO officials and military officers following tensions linked to the Nasir conflict. The defendants have consistently maintained that the charges against them are politically motivated, while the government has defended the prosecution as being conducted in accordance with the law.
