Six journalists arrested over video of South Sudan president ‘wetting self’

Six journalists in South Sudan have been arrested by the national security service over the circulation of a viral video appearing to show President Salva Kiir wetting himself.

In December, a video showing Kiir urinating on himself as the national anthem played at a function was shared on social media.

The circulation of the video led to the arrest of the journalists.

President of the South Sudan Union of Journalists, Patrick Oyet, told Reuters that the reporters were “suspected of having knowledge on how the video of the president urinating himself came out.”

Oyet said the detained journalists are Joseph Oliver and Mustafa Osman (camera operators), Victor Lado (video editor); Jacob Benjamin (contributor); and Cherbek Ruben and Joval Toombe from the control room.

Meanwhile, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation where the journalists work said the footage was never aired.

Also, on Friday, Committee to Protect Journalists, a media rights group, made a call for the journalists’ release, adding that the six staff members from the state broadcasting corporation were detained during the week.

CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo, also called for the unconditional release of the journalists.

According to Mumo, the arrest was “a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavourable.”

However, Michael Makue, South Sudan’s information minister, said people would have to wait to know why the journalists were detained.

The rights groups have frequently called on the South Sudanese authorities to stop harassing and threatening journalists.