South Sudan Passes Amendments Undermining Human Rights: Human Rights Watch
On 3 July 2024, South Sudan’s National Legislative Assembly amended the law governing the National Security Service (NSS) in a way that will further undermine human rights, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The amendments allow the agency to continue arresting or detaining people without a warrant, perpetuating its longstanding abuses. The agency has been using its broad powers to establish a regime of censorship and surveillance, violating fundamental rights and freedoms.
The amendments were part of reforms initiated by the Revitalized Peace Agreement in 2018, but failed to reach a consensus on the agency’s arrest authority. Despite initial discussions to limit arrest powers, the bill presented to parliament in May 2023 retained arrest powers under “emergency circumstances” and allowed arrests without a warrant for suspicion of “crimes against the state.”
Human Rights Watch has urged the government to limit the NSS’s powers to intelligence gathering, as mandated by the country’s constitution. The agency has been accused of unlawful detention, torture, and ill-treatment. South Sudan’s partners are called upon to raise concerns about the agency’s record of abusive behavior.
The bill now awaits the president’s assent, with HRW urging President Kiir to reject the broad powers of arrest and detention and bring the law in line with international human rights standards to protect the rights of the people of South Sudan.