The People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) strongly condemns the unlawful arrest and
detention of the Former Mayor of Juba City Council, Kalisto Lado Wani. The media
reported Kalisto’s arrest on Monday 1st April 2023. Being a former Government official,
Mayor Kalisto should have been served with a court warrant seeking his arrest with an option
to surrender himself, if Mayor Kalisto had anything to answer in the court of law. To invade
his house in the middle of the night, beat and humiliate him in front of his family, as reported
by media, is to impose unbearable fear and trauma on his innocent children and wife who
have nothing to do with any alleged actions of their father.
We demand, therefore, that the government either formally charges the former Mayor and
produce him in the court of law immediately and make his charges public or release him if
he has no case to answer. Mayor Kalisto has been outspoken about the injustices his people
have experienced, including them being dispossessed of their ancestral land. If the Mayor
cannot speak out against such issues, he would not be their representative. After all, his right
to speak freely on any matter is guaranteed by the constitution. If the government alleges any
wrongdoing, only the court can decide on the merits of any charges and whether they merit
his detention. The government must cease arbitrary arrests of the citizens of South Sudan.
We have given the government of South Sudan 48 hours to produce Mayor Kalisto in court
or have him released. Failure by the government to act within 48 hours will trigger the PCCA,
concerned human rights organizations and citizens to resort to peaceful demonstrations and
non-violent civil disobedience in Juba.
We, therefore, call on the citizens of South Sudan across the country to prepare and be on
standby for non-violent civil action on arbitrary arrests, forced disappearance, and torture of
South Sudanese citizens by the government.
The PCCA shall issue more detailed instructions to all its cells after the elapse of the 48
hours.
