UN rights commission defends report accuracy, disputes claim of fabricated findings

JUBA – The UN Human Rights Commission on South Sudan on Friday refuted government claims that their rights violation reports lack authenticity, emphasizing that their work is based on “impartial experts and scientific work.”

Speaking to reporters during a press conference held at the UN House in Juba, Ms. Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission on South Sudan denied the government accusations that the reports are fabricated in hotels.

“I made it clear to them (government officials) that we don’t write these reports in hotel rooms. Sometimes, these are some of the things that are said in the public arena,” she said.

“We have a team on the ground going around South Sudan, particularly to the troubled spots – we speak to a wide spectrum of players.

“So, when we gather our information, it is actually based on testimony, evidence that has been collected, forensic work, and a lot of analysis of what is appearing on open sources,” she added.

The senior UN official downplayed South Sudan’s usual reactions to her Commission’s reports, stating that governments around the world often dispute human rights reports.

“Even in the most advanced societies in the world, when it comes to universal periodic review or the Human Rights Council, they dispute the findings of independent experts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Carlos Castresana Fernández, a member of the UN rights commission, reiterated the importance of their recommendations.

“We insist on recommending the same because we think it is essential for the democratic transition of South Sudan,” Castresana stated.

He highlighted unimplemented recommendations from 2014 and 2016, emphasizing the need for an urgent independent judiciary.

UN Commissioner Barney Afako explained the recurring nature of the reports.

“Perhaps, what you are referring to is that the pattern seems to remain the same. If our reports look the same, it is because the situation on the ground is not changing,” he said.

“There is still sexual violence, inter-communal conflict, and repression of civil society and media,” he added.

South Sudan government officials have always been critical of the UN commission’s reports.

In March 2023, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro accused the UN commission of compiling “concocted” reports, alleging a “clandestine agenda.”

In October 2023, information minister and government spokesperson Michael Makuei dismissed a report as a copy of earlier findings which he said was compiled inside hotel rooms.