Rights group challenges government to come clean over assassination of
Isaiah Abraham
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June 8, 2013 (JUBA) – A South Sudan’s leading human rights advocacy
group has challenged the government to publicly come clean over the
assassination of the late opinion writer, Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan
Awuol, warning that such a deliberate silence may lead the public to
hold the government directly responsible for his murder.
JPEG - 13.5 kb
South Sudanese political commentator, Isaiah Ding Abraham Chan Awuol,
who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in front of his house in Juba,
early on the morning of Wednesday 5 December 2012 (Photo: Hayat)
Known by his pen-name as Isaiah Abraham, the famous writer was
assassinated by unknown assailants in front of his house on 5th
December 2012 in the national capital, Juba.
The opinion writer was known for his consistent constructive
criticisms of the government particularly its top leadership.
Two weeks before his assassination, Isaiah Abraham, in widely
circulated article called on the incumbent president Salva Kiir
Mayardit to resign, criticizing him for mismanaging the affairs of the
country.
A report on a preliminary investigation by the government on the cause
of his death, which was also presented to the Council of Ministers in
December last year and announced to the public by the minister of
information, clearly suggested that 75% pointed to an act of
assassination while 25% looked at other possible causes such as
revenge killing.
Information minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, announced to the public
a month later that some culprits were arrested in connection to
Isaiah’s demise, but fell short of revealing their identities, or the
motives behind their action. It was not also established whether they
acted alone or under an authority or group and the extent to which
justice had been done.
Despite the immediate visible uproar by the government at the time,
promising to thoroughly investigate the killing through the assistance
of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and to bring the
culprit(s) to swift justice, the matter has comfortably become silent
for the last five months.
However, South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURSA) said
it continues to “remember the painful departure” of Isaiah Abraham and
challenged the government to reveal the suspects and bring them to
justice.
While commemorating the life of Isaiah Abraham in Juba on 5th June,
exactly five months from the date on which he was assassinated,
SSHURSA, in a strongly worded two-page press release, dated 5th June
2013, and seen by the Sudan Tribune, said the government was a prime
suspect unless it publicly came clean by bringing to justice those
responsible.
“Who assassinated the late Isaiah Abraham; where are his assassins;
when are they going to be brought to justice; and why is South Sudan
government silent over the case?” are the questions asked by the
executive of the human rights advocacy body in the press release and
wanted the government to answer.
“In the interest of justice and due process of the law, it would be
proper to have the government answered them in a clear and frank
language, as soon as possible despite its failure to do so over the
last five months and kept the family in a state of uncertainty,” it
said.
The human rights organization however suspected that the government’s
silence was a clue that it covered up the culprits responsible for the
assassination.
“Silence of government confirms SHURSA’s argument that the state of
South Sudan clearly knows who killed Isaiah Abraham and it bears the
ultimate responsibility over the blood of the late, a man who was true
to his conscience and killed for challenging evils meted on his fellow
citizens”, it further reads.
It called on the government to publicly reveal the identities of the
so-called arrested suspects and give them a speedy trial or else the
government was implicated in the murder and wanted to silently deny
justice.
“Government, without delay, should reveal the findings of the
investigations of those it alleged it has arrested on the case and
start prosecuting the accused persons. Silence means either the
information got from those alleged detained has implicated the
government and its agents, or the government did not arrest anybody in
the first place but made the pronouncement to buy time and appease the
public for whom Isaiah Abraham gave up his life.”
South Sudan, which gained its independence in July 2011, is the newest
state on earth and became the 193rd member of the United Nations. The
country however has a bad record on human rights as reported by
various international organisations on human rights including the
forums established under the United Nations.
(ST)
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