Sudanese journalists arise to keep the temple of information from being defiled
Journalists in South Sudan have been having sleepless nights since Friday night after the media was filled with perturbing reports that a member of their fraternity had been arbitrarily arrested, flogged and detained incommunicado by security agents in Unity State capital of Bentiu simply because he was executing his lawful duty of collecting information to feed his audience. The victim is no other than Bonifacio Taban Kuich a seasoned writer and broadcaster for Bentiu FM and sudanvotes.com, a news website that has played its noble duty in informing the public in Sudan and around the world on election developments in the country as well as other issues in our society.
On Friday April 23rd, Bonifacio Taban Kuich was arrested in Bentiu while covering the post election skirmishes that were triggered by the election results announcement that put the care taker governor Taban Deng Gai in the lead against his challenger, Angelina Teny who had earlier been reported to have beaten Taban Deng Gai with a margin of a whopping 24.000 votes. It became public that the violence had left three people dead and five others hospitalized after sustaining injuries when soldiers opened fire without considering the precious lives of the victims and the suffering the bereaved families would undergo.
Bonifacio Taban Kuich at work (centre)
A trained journalist Bonifacio Taban Kuich, observing the rules of media law to report accurately, balanced and fairly decided to hit the road to Bentiu hospital to see the injured victims only to be received with the wrath of security agents called soldiers. Under international law, even in areas of combat a journalist is always considered as neutral and deserves protection unless he engages in acts that waiver his immunity like carrying firearms. Bonifacio Taban Kuich was only armed with his note book, a pen and possibly a camera which could not even pose a threat to a mere housefly. Then under what circumstances or reasons did these soldiers decide to attack our beloved Bonifacio Taban Kuich if really they were not trying to conceal their inhuman acts against the people who had been killed and those that lay in hospital?
One may ask whose soldiers are these?
It was clear that the same soldiers were the ones who were reportedly harassing supporters and independent candidates in the race for governorship where the care taker governor now the elect, Taban Deng Gai thought and still thinks they were to be used as private manpower that he could use to his own ends to cling to power.
After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 all former fighters of the SPLA/M were integrated as organised forces and became a conventional army to protect lives of people and their property. It is sad to note that the same army after five years have become owned and personalised by politicians like their domestic servants taking orders of beating, killing harassing and intimidating.The same soldiers that should have offered protection to Bonifacio Taban Kuich not only as a journalist but as a law abiding citizen are the same people that beat, arrested and took him where they felt he would not expose their dirty deeds against the citizens they are supposed to protect.
Your Excellency, 1st Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, I personally know that you are the commander in chief of the SPLA and President of the Government of Southern Sudan. It is your duty to oversee the behavior of your soldiers because we can not consider them to be ours after what they have done to our own Bonifacio Taban Kuich. We need a disciplined, organized and professional army that is for all citizens not the power hungry politicians. Your Excellency we demand that our Bonifacio Taban Kuich is released in one piece from wherever he may be hidden by these soldiers who don’t appreciate the contribution of journalists and the media in the development of this country that was left in shambles after 21 years of fighting. Your soldiers can beat, harass Bonifacio but they will never, ever beat his profession out of him or his other colleagues. I am not praising the journalists because of being one of them but it is common sense that there is no society without the media to provide people with information from near and far. We are and shall remain the eyes and ears of society, the voice of the voiceless, the watchdogs of what government is doing under the tables at the expense of the tax payer and a law abiding citizen who does not have any country to call motherland but Sudan. Do good, we shall report it and expect the equivalent when you do bad.
Bonifacio Taban Kuich
Imagine if you had no journalist, where would you be getting this same article you are reading now, or your favorite news paper for which you always spend cash in order to know what is happening starting from your home town, other parts of the country and beyond. Why do you ask a strange neighbor with whom you are sharing a seat in public transport to lend you his/her copy of the newspaper or why do you shout at your children or even shut up your colleagues when a news broadcast is going on radio or television? It is the journalist who brings you all this information and since you do not know the challenges he/she goes through to give you the news in the comfort of your home or your office computer connected to the internet please accord him the tiny respect you can offer him instead of that heavy beating that you would even not wish for yourself. A journalist is a professional like teachers, medical doctors, accountants and who beats these people when they are practicing their professions? Who beats the soldiers when they are performing their lawful duty may be apart from their bosses who discipline them for misconduct in accordance with military standing orders? Is beating and harassing the journalists the best reward that they deserve from greedy and power hungry politicians. In Newspapers, magazines or television it is common sight to see leaders or politicians posing for the best photoshots when they are launching government programmes, addressing rallies and even when they are talking nonsense as some of them normally do. Why don’t they also order their soldiers to beat and harass us the journalists when were are covering these functions?
Dear Journalists in South Sudan and beyond, on Monday May 3rd 2010 is World Press Freedom Day!
Today, it is Bonifacio and we don't know who will be the next target of security agents but it certainly any of us in the profession unless if you are telling me that you are quiting journalism right now. Since the world press freedom day will be our day, let us through the different media networks join hands and tell our leaders/politicians that we have a contribution to make towards the development they boast about in their speeches and we have never been enemies of our country but it is instead the people supposed to represent us at different levels of government using those meant to protect us to frustrate us through harassment, intimidation and arrests. Once again, we want our Bonifacio released and if he committed an offence let him be brought before a competent court to face justice and we are ready to bail him out or stand surety for him at all costs.
Bonifacio wherever you may be, we think about you and miss you.
Be strong since your were fighting for your own people who are victims of acts of their own politicians called representatives who have decided to betray them like the biblical Judas Iscariot.
We also demand that those responsible should answer why they treated him inhumanely because no journalist has ever been an enemy to his own country in order to deserve what Bonifacio Taban Kuich is going through.
We need our Bonifacio and his family needs him too.
Updated Thursday 6th May 13.00 GMT. Sudanvotes and Amnesty International spoke with Stephen Gatwich Taban, who confirmed that Bonifacio Taban had been released from Bentiu State Prison. He is now recovering and wishes to thank everyone involved in his release for their untiring efforts and support. Tomorrow, he must return to the State Prison to collect his radio recorder and camera.
