By Matik Kueth
The Judge presiding over the trial of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven accused senior SPLM-IO members reaffirmed his appeal for public and media access, after journalists were for the second day barred from entering the courtroom.
On Tuesday morning, reporters, including King Media’s team, were denied access to the courtroom, with the state-run SSBC as the only broadcaster permitted to cover the proceedings live.
While addressing Today’s session at Freedom Hall in Juba, Alala stressed that the proceedings must be transparent and accessible.
“We would like to inform the audience that the court is open to the public. I mentioned this yesterday [Monday] that now the public hearing means citizens are allowed to access the court. Media, all media houses are allowed to access the court and report,” Alala said.
He added, “They know how to report and what they are reporting. No way to close or to block any media house that is coming or any other interested citizen. So, this must be clear.”
Alala’s remarks followed Monday’s session, where journalists were denied entry into Freedom Hall, drawing sharp criticism from media leaders and rights defenders.
Yet, despite his clear directive, journalists again found themselves barred from Tuesday’s session, exposing a glaring contradiction between the judge’s order and the actions of court security.
On the second day of the highly anticipated trial of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven senior SPLM-IO officials, the courtroom at Freedom Hall was once again the center of intense legal debate and heightened political tension as arguments centered on jurisdiction and the nature of the charges, as was the case on the first day in which the prosecution team lack written response to the argument of the defense team resulting to the adjournment of the session to allow them submit to allow them submit their response in written today.
Government prosecutors submitted their documents as part of the case before the hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.
Judge Alala further reaffirmed that independent media must be granted access moving forward.
The high-profile case of Dr. Machar and his co-accused continues to attract public and international scrutiny, as questions mount over South Sudan’s commitment to transparency and the rule of law.