S. Sudan journalist killed after President Kiir's death threats

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya

Journalists in the South Sudanese capital Juba went on strike for three days as they mourned their slain colleague Julius Peter Moi who was shot in the back two by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in Nairobi immediately issued a statement condemning the killing of Moi, a reporter for “The New Nation” in Juba.

Referring to comments made by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Sunday, the CPJ’s East African representative told Anadolu Agency on Friday that 2015 has been a deadly year for journalists in South Sudan.

“President Salva Kiir had issued a threat to journalists earlier this week before heading to Ethiopia, saying that ‘the freedom of press does not mean that you work against your country and if anybody among them (journalists) does not know this country has killed people, we will demonstrate it to them one day’ – a few days later Moi was killed,” the CPJ representative said.

“We strongly condemn the killing of Moi who I had a chance to train briefly back in 2007,” he added.

While speaking to journalists in Juba, Oliver Modi, chairman of South Sudan journalist association, asked police to investigate the journalist’s killing and called for a three day mourning period for the slain journalist.

“I appeal to all journalists in the Republic of South Sudan to lay down their pens, papers and cameras, and observe three-days of mourning,” he said.