On November 28, 2024, officers from the National Security Service (NSS) intelligence agency arrested Emmanuel Monychol Akop, editor-in-chief of The Dawn newspaper, after he responded to a summons to appear at their headquarters in the capital, Juba, according to Moses Guot, a manager at The Dawn, and a person familiar with the case, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
As of late 2024, Monychol remained in detention without charge and authorities had not disclosed the reason for his arrest, those sources said.
The NSS told Monychol’s family that they could not visit the journalist at their headquarters until investigations were complete, but did not provide further details, Guot told CPJ. Rights groups have documented multiple allegations of abuses of detainees in the NSS headquarters, known as Blue House.
Authorities may have arrested Monychol due to his perceived or actual links to the former head of the NSS General Akol Koor Kuc, three other people familiar with the case told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals. The spy chief was fired on October 2, in what observers said may have been part of a power struggle.
As of late 2024, NSS spokesperson John David Kumuri did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app, but acknowledged its receipt on December 10.
The regulatory South Sudan Media Authority’s managing director Elijah Alier Kuai did not respond to CPJ's requests for comment via phone and messaging app. Phone calls to Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth and the South Sudan Media Authority’s Director General for Information and Media Compliance Sapana Abuyi did not connect.
In 2019, Monychol was arrested after he published a Facebook post criticizing a minister’s dress on a diplomatic visit. He was detained for over a month and freed in mid-December, according to a person familiar with the case. CPJ was unable to determine the exact date of his release.