Breaking: Kiir pardons 30 inmates, including Peter Biar and Kerbino Wol in New Year Amnesty
Prominent Human Rights Activist, and Economist Peter Biar Ajak speaks to the media (Photo: supplied)
January 2nd, 2020 (SSNN)—South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has issued a presidential pardon on New Year’s Eve, absolving about 30 defendants convicted of various criminal offenses in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.
Last week, during a visit to detention centers in Juba, President Kiir gave an assurance and promised to release some of the accused as a sign of forgiveness and the nation’s New Year gift.
The released inmates include human rights activist Peter Biar Ajak and Kerbino Wol Agok.
In June, Peter Biar Ajak, a renowned human rights defender, and a doctoral student at Cambridge University was sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly threatening the country’s national security, a controversial move that drew widespread condemnation around the world.
Biar, a critical critic of Kiir’s government was arrested on July 28, 2018 by the state agents while he was going to participate in a youth-related forum in Aweil.
The detention of Peter Biar Ajak and Kerbino Wol increasingly gained traction on social media and was condemned by a number of domestic and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty Intentional.
Peter Biar is an economist and founder of the Centre for Strategic Analysis and Research (C-SAR), a Juba-based research group and was the chairman for the South Sudan Youth Leaders Forum (SSYLF).
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