South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
A prominent South Sudanese activist on Sunday called for a fair and public trial of the suspended country’s First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, who is facing charges of treason, murder, and other criminal offences.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit suspended Dr. Riek Machar Teny, leader of the main opposition group, SPLM-IO, last week after he and his key allies were charged with murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and military assets, and crimes against humanity by the Ministry of Justice.
The charges stem from a violent incident in March when a militia known as the White Army overran a garrison of government troops in Nasir County, Upper Nile, killing its commanding officer, Gen. Majur Dak, and several soldiers.
The Justice Ministry asserted that the attack in Nasir was influenced by Machar and others through “coordinated military and political structures.”
Machar has remained under house arrest since March, with concerns mounting for his safety as he has not appeared in public for months.
Authorities have yet to announce when his trial will begin.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), urged the government to adhere to fairness and transparency in handling Machar’s case.
“Let the legal trial of His Excellency, the suspended First Vice President, be conducted in a transparent, open manner, observing the values of a fair trial, equality before the law, and protection under the law,” Yakani told Dawn on Sunday.
Yakani called on the judiciary to demonstrate a high level of independence in the conduct of the case.
“Let the trial be open to the public, and we want to see the judiciary adhering to the principle of a fair trial and equality before the law,” he said.
He stressed the need for the trial to be conducted transparently, without intimidation or harassment of the defence teams or citizens.
“Let the trial not be held in a closed, selective manner, such that sometimes people are locked out when the debate becomes more heated.”
“Democracy exists when we respect the rule of law, human rights, and accountability and justice,” he said.
An outspoken activist characterised the case as “high profile,” emphasising the need for civil society to monitor the judiciary’s compliance.
