Journalists arrests over film of president appearing to wet himself

• Six journalists detained over video that appeared to show President wetting himself.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling for their release.
• This week, six employees of the state broadcaster were detained.

Six journalists have been detained in South Sudan as a result of the distribution of video that appeared to show President Salva Kiir wetting himself, according to media rights organizations.

When the national anthem was playing at a gathering in December, a video posted to social media appeared to show Mr. Kiir urinating on himself.

This week, six employees of the state broadcaster were detained.

For their release, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is currently calling.

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

The South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) says the footage was never aired.

The arrests match “a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavorable”, said CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo, calling for their unconditional release.

According to South Sudan’s Minister of Information, Michael Makuei, the public should hold off on learning the reason behind the journalists’ detention.

Rights organizations have regularly urged the South Sudanese government to stop intimidating and harassing journalists.

South Sudan, the newest nation in Africa, elected Mr. Kiir as its first leader in 2011.

But since then, the nation has faced various crises, including violent conflict, political unrest, natural disasters, and hunger.

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