South Sudan’s authorities, especially the National Security Service (NSS) have harassed, intimidated, and arbitrarily detained journalists while the government has failed to pass key laws to protect freedom of expression. As a result, this fundamental right has been increasingly eroded in South Sudan since independence in 2011. Journalists cannot report freely on the country’s ongoing internal armed conflict and newspapers are unable to participate in open debate on how the country could move towards sustainable peace without fear of retribution by state security forces.
