JUBA – A high court in the capital Juba on Friday afternoon issued a ruling acquitting former governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Kuel Aguer Kuel after more than a year of detention by the South Sudan National Security Service (NSS).
Kuel was arrested in August 2021 after signing a document for the formation of the People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA), a protest organizer that sought to remove President Salva Kiir Mayardit from power alongside his long-time deputy and rival Riek Machar.
Kuel has since been kept in detention by the national security service with rights groups including the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International calling on the government of South Sudan to set free the former governor who has since turned to an activist.
“These extrajudicial detentions not only violate the fundamental rights of South Sudan’s citizens but compromise the integrity of the entire criminal justice system,” said Nyagoah Tut Pur, South Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in March.
“Instead of throwing critics in jail, the authorities should enhance civic space and advance the rule of law including respect for due process rights,” the rights advocate added.
She added that South Sudan government should release the government critic given the nature of their charges saying the regime has failed to provide fair trial that would have seen them restored to their civil liberties.
“Given the nature of the charges, and the violations of their rights, the South Sudanese authorities should immediately release the two men and drop the charges against them,” Pur said.
Speaking following his release, Kuel thank his lawyer, Chol Deng, for keeping the fight for his release and thank his family for standing with him saying “your efforts have culminated into my release today from the detention which I have gone through.”
