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A journalist with Singaita FM radio station in Eastern Equatoria was arrested on Tuesday for airing a report on the smashing of statues in a Catholic church.
Sisto Germano Oshied becomes the third victim of the statue incident Two family members The woman who allegedly vandalized the statue was arrested last Friday.
Armed police from Torit, accompanied by lawyer Anthony Beda, went to the suspect’s home and arrested her mother and sister.
The arrest took place Fr Anthony Odoemelamm, a priest at St Paul’s Parish, reportedly received $3,500 to replace the broken statue.
A police officer at Kapoeta City Hall, who is not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed to Radio Tamazuje on Tuesday that the journalist is currently in custody awaiting transfer to Torit, where an investigation has been opened in the case.
Journalist Oshid said he believed he was arrested because he wrote a story about the smashing of a statue at Our Lady of the Rosary Church and demanded $3,500 in damages.
He said he had been receiving threats related to the payment story and believed that was the reason for the alleged defamation.
Patrick Oyet, president of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), also confirmed the arrest to Radio Tamazuj and said the whole process violated media freedom.
South Sudanese journalists reported that authorities frequently obstructed, harassed, and arbitrarily arrested them, limiting their ability to report the news to the public.
Last October, South Sudan’s government admitted to censoring the media and removing articles it deemed to incite hatred after a UN-backed investigation revealed “pervasive” restrictions on press freedom in the world’s youngest country.
The 2024 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders shows that South Sudan ranks 136th out of 180 countries.
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