Skip to content

South Sudan: UN commission urges president to revise controversial security law amendments

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Press release
Geneva – July 17, 2024

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has called on President Salva Kiir to return the recently passed National Security Service Act (Amendment) Bill to legislators for revision. The Commission warns that the bill, if enacted, will entrench arbitrary detention and further repression by the National Security Service (NSS).

Yasmin Sooka, Chairperson of the Commission, emphasized the dangerous precedent the amendments could set. “If accepted by the President, these amendments to the National Security Service Act would signal that rights violations by this powerful institution are endorsed not just by the rest of government, but legislators as well,” Sooka stated. She urged that the bill be revised to align with South Sudan’s commitment to abolish the NSS’s arrest powers, which have been systematically abused.

The Commission has documented extensive human rights violations by the NSS, including prolonged and arbitrary detentions without judicial oversight. Victims have faced torture, with some dying in detention. These abuses have targeted civil society members and political opponents, including those extradited from neighboring countries.

Commissioner Barney Afako highlighted the detrimental impact of the bill on civic freedoms. “As South Sudan prepares for its first elections since independence, the citizenry must be able to exercise their civil and political rights without fear of retribution,” Afako said. He noted that the security amendments, intended to open up civic space, instead threaten to further restrict it.

The 2014 National Security Service Act currently allows NSS officers to arrest and detain individuals without a warrant for broadly defined state offenses. Although detainees are supposed to be brought before a judge within 24 hours, this rarely occurs. Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández condemned the NSS’s unchecked powers, citing the lack of judicial oversight and independence as a major issue.

The Commission urged President Kiir to utilize his authority to return the bill for revision to ensure it complies with human rights obligations and supports the development of a credible judicial system. The ongoing process of amending the 2014 Act has faced numerous delays, and the current amendments contradict previous government commitments to remove the NSS’s arrest powers.

For more information and media requests or inquiries, please get in touch with us (+41229403538 / media@cfjustice.org)

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Be the first to get our latest Publication