Six journalists arrested over leakage of video of South Sudan President Salva Kiir Urinating on himself
Six journalists have been detained by South Sudan Sudan security forces for allegedly releasing a viral video of President Salva Kiir urinating on himself during an official event in December last year.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the six journalists attached to the State-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) are; Joval Tombe (Control Room Director), Victor Lado (Camera Technician), camera operators Joseph Oliver, Jacob Benjamin and Mustafa Osman as well as control room technician Cherbek Ruben.
Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, said the arrests match a “pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavourable”.
“Authorities should unconditionally release these six SSBC employees and ensure that they can work without further intimidation or threat of arrest,” Mumo said.
In the video, moments before commissioning a newly constructed road, the 71-year-old Kiir is seen standing up for his country’s national anthem when a stain appears on his trouser before a pool slowly starts forming at his feet.
The video has raised questions over the president’s state of health and his fitness to govern the country.
It has however sparked a fierce debate over the unethical way the journalists showcasted the elderly Head of State in a compromising manner.
Kiir has been South Sudan’s President since 2011.
