In a move to stop communication coming from independent media, South Sudan's National Security Service (NSS) locked up the offices of the The Citizen, Al Rai, and Free Voice radio station indefinitely.
In a move to stop communication coming from independent media, South Sudan's National Security Service (NSS) locked up the offices of the The Citizen, Al Rai, and Free Voice radio station indefinitely.
The Committee To Project Journalists (CPJ) has confirmed that these media outlets have been shut down.
The NSS told Nhial Bol, the editor-in-chief of The Citizen, that her paper was shut down because of content that the magazine had published on August 1st and July 28th that called on the government to sign a draft of a peace agreement that could end the 19-month long civil war in South Sudan.
Corresponding with Deutsche Welle, Ms. Bol said, "The problem was that I have written an article complaining about the peace agreement, to be signed by the government, on July 28th and also that we have run an article about the opposition political parties, who are also complaining about the peace talks."
"The government does not want an independent opinion on the current peace talks between the government and rebels."
Ms. Bol also said that now, citizens do not have an opportunity to receive objective news in South Sudan.
There was no official government request or letter that authorized The Citizen to be closed down.
The country's freedom of expression worsens every day and as August rolls by, the August 17th deadline to end Sudan's raging civil war comes nearer and nearer.
According to Bol, “The country has already collapsed. The rule of law is no longer there. If there is a crime we have committed why don't they take the case to court rather than shutting us down?"
"There are about seven newspapers that are still operating, but they are under the influence of fear. They are afraid to run their institutions."
Since its independence in 2011, South Sudan has continuously violated journalist rights, unlawfully detained citizens, and implemented an Abusive security bill enacted in 2014 that gives the NSS complete authority and autonomy to arrest, detain, and seize property.