May 7th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The Sudd Institute, a local think-tank based in South Sudan’s capital Juba has urged the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardiit to open swift investigation into killing of two prominent opposition members.
Last week, a United Nations Panel of investigators concluded that Dong Samuel Luak, a human rights lawyer, and Aggrey Izboni Idri, a senior member of the country’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, were killed on January 30th 2017 by government security agents.
Dong and Aggrey were arrested in the neighboring Kenya’s capital Nairobi days before they were deported to Juba in January 2017.
The UN report said the Kenyan government upon the request of South Sudan’s security chief, General Akol Koor Kuc, extradited the two. The report further said they were later executed on orders of senior security officials including Akol Koor.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Sudd Institute said it was shocked and deeply saddened by the killing of Dong who served in the think-tank between 2012 until his flight to exile after the war began in December 2013.
“The Sudd Institute is deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Dong Samuel’s death,” partly read the statement seen by Nyamilepedia. “Dong, a gentleman with unmatched integrity and love for his country, served his people with class.”
While expressing its support for freedom of expression, the body said no one should be a subject to immense suffering or death because of this practice calling on the government of President Salva Kiir to carry out investigation into the killing of Dong and Aggrey.
“……no citizen should ever be subjected to death or repression simply for expressing their views about the country or about its political leadership. The Government of South Sudan should investigate and lay to bare facts about why and who killed Dong Samuel and Aggrey Idri,” the statement concluded.
