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SIX journalists have been arrested after footage appeared to indicate the South Sudan president wetting himself.
A darkish stain was seen spreading down President Salva Kiir’s trousers with a moist patch forming on the ground as he stood for the nationwide anthem at an occasion final month.
The 71-year-old chief was seen trying down on the stain whereas leaning on his strolling stick earlier than the digicam panned away.
The nationwide journalists’ union stated the six journalists detained over the footage work for the South Sudan Broadcasting Company.
They had been arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday, it stated.
Union president Patrick Oyet named the journalists as cameramen Joseph Oliver and Mustafa Osman, video editor Victor Lado, contributor Jacob Benjamin, and Cherbek Ruben and Joval Toombe from the management room.
Mr Oyet stated: “We’re involved as a result of those that are detained now have stayed longer than what the legislation says.”
The legislation in South Sudan states individuals ought to be detained for a most of 24 hours earlier than showing earlier than a choose.
The Committee to Shield Journalists stated the journalists are underneath investigation over the footage that went viral on social media in December.
CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa consultant Muthoki Mumo stated the arrests match “a sample of safety personnel resorting to arbitrary detention every time officers deem protection unfavourable”.
“Authorities ought to unconditionally launch these six SSBC staff and be certain that they’ll work with out additional intimidation or menace of arrest,” he stated.
The Union of Journalists of South Sudan known as for a “speedy conclusion” of the investigation, who it stated had been suspected of “having data of the discharge of ‘a sure footage’ to the general public”.
“If there’s a prima facie case {of professional} misconduct or offence then let authorities expedite an administrative or authorized course of to deal with the problem in a good, clear (method) and in accordance with the legislation,” it stated.
South Sudan Data Minister Michael Makuei instructed Voice of America radio that “individuals ought to wait to study why the journalists had been detained”.
Kiir, 71, oversaw the start of South Sudan as an impartial nation after it broke free from Sudan in July 2011.
However the world’s youngest nation has lurched from disaster to disaster since – dealing with brutal battle, political turmoil, pure disasters and starvation.
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