VZCZCXRO9354
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1781 2051308
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241308Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3873
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001781 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SU
SUBJECT:  PRESS/INFORMATION FREEDOM ISSUES AT THE FORE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Authorities from two states in the South of Sudan 
have moved against press outlets and the representative of a NGO for 
disseminating information that the authorities judged inimical to 
their interests.  The UN and the EU have engaged on two of these 
cases, and we stand ready to discuss the ramifications with the 
Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS).  End summary. 
 
--------------------- 
Policing the Airwaves 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) UNMIS has reported that the Security Service of Central 
Equatoria State (CES) has requested tapes of a program aired on UN 
radio and ordered UN officials to come to the headquarters of the 
Security Service.   The proximate cause of the row was the "Vox Pop" 
segment of the show, public sound bites on questions of general 
interest.  The issue of the day in question was whether the day of 
John Garang's death should become a holiday in the South.  Most of 
those interviewed at random said yes; a few said no, and several 
said that it should be celebrated as a memorial for all Sudanese who 
died during the conflict. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The CES approached UN radio personnel and requested that 
they surrender a tape of the show to the Security Service.  The UN 
does not know if CES is interested in what the UN asked or who spoke 
out against the holiday.  The UN notes that the latter would be 
pointless, since none of those interviewed were identified by name, 
but on principle the UN has said they will not release tapes to 
security officials.  UN Head of Office for South Sudan James Ellery 
told UN radio that he would deal with the issue.  When CES called UN 
personnel to its offices, Ellery replied that they could come to 
call upon him at his office, but no UN personnel would go to the 
Security Service.  He has referred the issue to New York as well. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In an unrelated incident, CES has shut down independent 
Radio Liberty after they too refused a summons by the Security 
Services.  The CES authorities cited failure by the radio station to 
obtain proper licenses, but the station manager believes that this 
was an issue over comments made on the air that the CES did not 
like.  Radio Liberty does not yet know exactly what comment might 
have been the root cause. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) A third case, potentially more serious, involves a NGO 
employee who has been arrested and detained for releasing an 
Internet article critical of Join Integrated Units' performance 
while searching for stolen cattle in East Equatoria State (EES).  We 
have seen a copy of the article, which is quite harsh and accuses 
the Governor of EES State of bias and the JIUs of engaging in human 
rights abuses, including rape and pillage.  We cannot corroborate at 
this time if the charges are true. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Executive Director of the NGO in question, Manna Sudan, 
is a Sudanese national named Charles Loker.  He was arrested in 
Ikoto on July 4 and transferred to Torit two days later, where he 
remains in detention.  He has been accused, but not formally 
charged, with defaming the government and waging war against the 
state under article of the Sudanese Criminal Act of 1991.  Loker has 
not been granted access to a lawyer, and a UNMIS human rights 
monitor who sought to visit him was reportedly denied access.  The 
EU, which funds Manna Sudan, has dispatched personnel from Khartoum 
to meet with the GoSS on the case. 
 
---------------- 
Time to Weigh In 
---------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT:  The GoSS has done a commendable job in allowing a 
nascent independent media to emerge.  We do not think it would be 
desirable to reverse this trend by allowing state officials to act 
arbitrarily against the free flow of information - flawed or not - 
that it does not find to its liking.  We are prepared to meet with 
GoSS Information Minister Kwaje at first opportunity to suggest that 
the litmus test of information should not be the approval of state 
officials and that the GoSS should be closely involved with this 
important function of constructing a more democratic society.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
STEINFELD