Watchdog urges South Sudan, mobile operators to end ‘abusive surveillance’ on citizens

JUBA – A South Sudan-based rights organization is urging the transitional government in Juba and mobile operators in the country to stop surveillance activities against the citizens alleging that the government is involved in an illegal wiretapping.

“Government of South Sudan and telecommunications companies’ electronic surveillance include; wiretapping, bugging, videotaping, geolocation tracking such as through RFID, GPS, or cell-site data; data mining, social media mapping, and the monitoring of data and traffic on the internet,” the Center for Peace and Advocacy, a rights group based in South Sudan, said in a statement extended to Sudans Post.

“In South Sudan, the majority of the citizens especially members of civil society have been placed under serious electronic surveillance which has restricted their shrinking civic space and even pose threats to their lives,” the statement added.

The statement said the government “through the NSS is responsible for abusive surveillance that has had a chilling effect on human rights defenders, journalists, ordinary citizens that use electronic gadgets as well as on the government officials.”

“The issue of electronic surveillance began when the government of South Sudan obtained Electronic Surveillance System from the Israeli Company between 2015 and 2017 purpose for monitoring officials, private telephone, and other social media conversations.

“The failure by government officials to conduct electronic surveillance activities in accordance with principles of non-arbitrariness, legality, necessity, legitimacy and proportionality for surveillance that has led to the violation of rights to privacy and shrinking civic space in this country.

“Unfortunately, the legal framework governing electronic surveillance in South Sudan does not meet principles pf non-arbitrariness, legality, necessity, legitimacy and proportionality for surveillance, the surveillance system has been used arbitrarily in South Sudan which violates the rights to privacy of all citizens as enshrined under the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (TCRSS), 2011 as amended.

“Article 22 of the TRCSS, 2011 as amended provides that the privacy of all persons shall be inviolable and that no person shall be subjected to interference with his or her private life, family, home or correspondence, save in accordance with the laws of South Sudanese.”