AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - The law that strengthens the powers of security services has been approved, the opposition protests

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Juba (Agenzia Fides) - On October 8, the South Sudan National Assembly approved a law that strengthens the powers of the Security Service, the National Security Service (NSS) Bill. According to what is reported in the "Sudan Catholic Radio Network" the approval of the law has sparked protests from some lawmakers who say that the parliamentary procedures have not been followed. The leader of the opposition, Onyoti Adigo Nyikwec, along with other MPs, left the courtroom in protest because lawmakers were not given 72 hours to study the text.
The new law allows the National Security Service (NSS) to arrest people without a warrant from a judge. The only guarantee for those arrested is that they must be brought before a judge within 24 hours. The NSS is responsible, among other things, of the temporary closure of Radio Bakhita" of the Archdiocese of Juba (see Fides 18/08/2014) and has been accused by some humanitarian organizations of torture and arbitrary arrests. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 09/10/2014)


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