After urine video of South Sudan's president: journalists arrested
Created: 2023-01-08 06:03
By: Stella Henrich
President Salva Kiir (front center) appears to have peed his pants.
© John Ochieng/imago
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is said to have peed his pants while the national anthem was being played.
The video landed on social media.
Six journalists are said to have been arrested.
South Sudan - Six journalists were reportedly arrested after video footage of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir went viral on social media.
Footage shows Kiir apparently peeing his pants at a public event while the national anthem is being played.
The recordings show him with wet pant legs.
This caused discussions as to whether he was still up to the job, reports
Tagesschau.de
.
As the US organization Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) reports, citing those close to them, the six employees of the South Sudanese state television station SSBC were arrested on Tuesday (January 3).
According to
Spiegel
, the responsible journalists' association has confirmed the arrests.
The TV station itself is said not to have broadcast the video.
The video initially triggered a viral debate as to whether such scenes should be shown.
Six journalists arrested in Sudan: TV reporters stuck at national security headquarters
The Committee to Protect Journalists asked authorities to "unconditionally release the six SSBC employees and ensure they can work without further intimidation or threats of arrest."
They are said to be currently being held at National Security Headquarters.
The country's journalists' union is reportedly calling for a fair trial if indicted.
The government of the 71-year-old president has been accused of numerous human rights violations.
The country's security situation is extremely fragile, even though the civil war with around 400,000 deaths has officially ended in 2018, the ARD report continues.
Violence had recently escalated again in several parts of the country, with various armed groups fighting for power and influence.
According to Reporters Without Borders, independent journalists are repeatedly threatened and assaulted, accused and attempted to intimidate, especially by state security forces.
