South Sudan’s friends urge government to protect journalists

JUBA, NOV. 3, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s friends, the United States, and the United Kingdom, are urging the government to do more to protect journalists and uphold their right to freedom of expression.

“On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we recognize the vital role that media plays in healthy democracies,” said the two countries in a joint statement on Thursday.

“Journalists must be guaranteed the ability to practice their profession without fear of harassment, attacks, or arbitrary detention,” they added.

The statement also called for justice in the case of Christopher Allen, a British-American journalist who was killed under unclear circumstances while covering fighting between government forces and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in 2017.

Allen was embedded with SPLA-IO forces when he was murdered. Following his killing, the government denied reports that its soldiers had deliberately killed him and at some point, described him as a “white rebel”.

“We take this opportunity to call again for a credible investigation that leads to accountability for the 2017 death of Christopher Allen, the dual national American-British citizen who was killed while working as a journalist covering clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition,” the statement said.

South Sudan is one of the worse countries for journalists in the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization that promotes and defends press freedom, has expressed skepticism about the government’s commitment to conducting a credible investigation into Allen’s death.

The government has a long history of cracking down on press freedom. In 2022, CPJ ranked South Sudan as the third-worst country in the world for press freedom.

The organization documented several cases of journalists being detained, harassed, or assaulted in South Sudan that year.

The United States and the United Kingdom have joined CPJ in calling on the South Sudanese government to take concrete steps to protect journalists and uphold their right to freedom of expression.

This includes conducting credible investigations into attacks on journalists, holding perpetrators accountable, and creating a safe and enabling environment for journalists to work in.