South Sudan arrests journalists who published pictures of the president wet his pants

The accident occurred last month during the opening of a highway. The moment the national anthem started, a wet spot appeared on the 71-year-old president’s pants. When urine began leaking from his pants, the president discovered his accident. The camera turned away, but the damage had already been done: the photos made it to social media, where they are still widely shared.

Last Tuesday, the National Security Service arrested six state broadcaster journalists for their role in distributing the photos, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that advocates for press freedom around the world. The director includes three cameramen and two technicians.

The South Sudan Journalists Syndicate is concerned about the condition of the six. By law, they can be held for up to 24 hours without the intervention of a judge, but they have been held since Tuesday.

According to the Union of South Sudanese Journalists, the detainees are suspected of having “knowledge” of how the video got to the outside world. An anonymous employee of the state broadcaster told the independent radio station, Tamazuj, that pictures of the urination incident were not broadcast on television. news site Sudan Post It was reported that the National Security Agency checked employees’ phones to find out who had distributed the photos.

Rumors have been circulating for some time about the health of President Kiir, who has been in power since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. For example, he will have a urinary tract infection among members. The South Sudanese government has so far denied all of Kiir’s health problems. The authorities have not yet said anything about the recent arrests.

According to CPJ representative for sub-Saharan Africa Muthuki Momo, the arrests fit a pattern in which the government reacts aggressively to what it views as unwanted propaganda. Momo said that when government officials are disturbed by the reports, they “resort to arbitrary arrests.”