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South Sudan Blogger And Government Critic Shot Dead
http://www.africaeagle.com/2012/12/south-sudan-blogger-and-government.html
A South Sudanese blogger and government critic has been shot dead in his home, a week after unknown men threatened to kill him unless he stopped writing, his family said on Thursday.
Police confirmed that Diing Chan Awuol, who wrote online opinion pieces for newspapers and blogs, was shot in the face on Wednesday morning.
It was the first time a journalist has been killed in South Sudan since it gained independence from the north in July last year.
Journalists have frequently complained of harassment and detention by the new nation's security services. Last year, the authorities closed a newspaper after it criticized President Salva Kiir for allowing his daughter to marry a foreigner.
In his last piece, published by the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website, Awuol broached a sensitive subject by calling on Kiir's government to foster better ties with its old foe Sudan and refrain from supporting rebel groups there.
The Khartoum government says the south backs rebels in two Sudan border states. The south denies this and South Sudanese newspapers usually support that stance.
A week before his death, Awuol, who wrote under the pen-name Isaiah Abraham, complained that unknown men were attempting to silence him, his brother William Chan said.
"He said he had received threats by phone. (They said) 'either stop writing or we will get rid of you'," Chan told Reuters.
Police spokesman James Monday said an investigation had begun and police were yet to identify the shooter or establish a motive. No property was stolen from Awuol's house, Monday added.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the government to investigate.
It was the first time a journalist has been killed in South Sudan since it gained independence from the north in July last year.
Journalists have frequently complained of harassment and detention by the new nation's security services. Last year, the authorities closed a newspaper after it criticized President Salva Kiir for allowing his daughter to marry a foreigner.
In his last piece, published by the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website, Awuol broached a sensitive subject by calling on Kiir's government to foster better ties with its old foe Sudan and refrain from supporting rebel groups there.
The Khartoum government says the south backs rebels in two Sudan border states. The south denies this and South Sudanese newspapers usually support that stance.
A week before his death, Awuol, who wrote under the pen-name Isaiah Abraham, complained that unknown men were attempting to silence him, his brother William Chan said.
"He said he had received threats by phone. (They said) 'either stop writing or we will get rid of you'," Chan told Reuters.
Police spokesman James Monday said an investigation had begun and police were yet to identify the shooter or establish a motive. No property was stolen from Awuol's house, Monday added.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the government to investigate.
