South Sudan: “Automatic” Enforcement of Security Law
The president of South Sudan has not yet signed the contentious security measure, but it has become law nonetheless, according to a spokesman for the parliament on Thursday.
The bill became operative “automatically” under the constitution, according to spokesman Oliver Mori, who told The Associated Press that it had been with President Salva Kiir for 30 days before July 12.
The bill was criticized by human rights advocates and several other nations when the latter chose not to sign it or veto it. In July, nine Western envoys—including US and British representatives—stated that South Sudanese citizens need to be free to engage in political and civic expression without fear of unjustifiable detention or intimidation by security forces.
The first elections under the transitional government established following a 2018 peace agreement to end a five-year civil conflict that claimed over 400,000 lives are scheduled for December 22 in South Sudan.
The new law has shown to be a source of contention in negotiations between the opposition parties excluded from the 2018 peace agreement and the government.
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