Hyderabad: Six journalists were detained over a viral video showing South Sudan President Salva Kiir, 71 years old, standing during the national anthem and looking down at a spreading stain. The video of the incident showing the president urinating on himself at a public event on December 13, was originally shot by the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).
Six staffers of the national broadcaster have been detained by the National Security Service for the footage that has been widely shared online. The detained SSBC journalist are Jacob Benjamin, Mustafa Osman, Victor Lado, Joval Tombe, Cherbek Ruben, and Joseph Oliver. They are believed to have knowledge of who was behind the release of the video since the footage was never aired by SSBC television channel, the South Sudan Ministry of Information, Communication, Technology, and Postal Services said.
The Union of Journalists of South Sudan called for a speedy conclusion to the investigation. "If there is a prima facie case of professional misconduct or offense then let authorities expedite an administrative or legal process to address the issue in a fair, transparent, and in accordance with the law," union chair Oyet Patrick Charles said to Associated Press.
Officials at the president's office as well as South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation have so far refused to comment on the incident. It is known that South Sudan National Security has limited tolerance for those who are critical of the government.
South Sudan got independent in 2011 after it separated from Sudan. Salva Kiir has been the country's only president since then. The presidential election has been recently postponed till 2024 amid the implementation of a 2018 peace deal that ended the five-year-long civil war in the African country. (With Agency inputs)
