By Deng Ghai Deng
Former mayor of Juba City Council and an influential politician in Central Equatoria State, Kalisto Ladu has on Friday, been released from detention.
Ladu was forcibly taken from his home in Juba by National Security operatives on March 30, while his wife and family members watched helplessly. He had been held incommunicado since then.
Advocate Wani Santino Jada, the managing partner at M/S Pan African Law Chambers, LLP, and Ladu’s lawyer, confirmed the release but declined to provide further details.
“I can confirm Kalisto has been released, but I don’t want to discuss more. If there were charges, he could have been taken to court,” Santino said.
Last month, Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga, disclosed that Ladu was facing criminal charges and would be arraigned in a competent court of law.
In June, the government brought severe charges against Ladu, including several capital offences that carry the death penalty. Ladu, known for his outspoken stance against the endemic and often violent land grabbing in and around Juba, had been a vocal critic of such practices.
Despite the constitutional requirement that detainees be brought before a judge within 24 hours, this rarely occurs in practice.
The National Security Service (NSS) law, passed by South Sudan’s parliament on July 3, 2024, grants the security agency the authority to arrest suspected criminals without a warrant. Several rights groups have expressed concerns that this law undermines human rights and strengthens the NSS’s abusive powers.
Ladu’s release marks the end of a controversial detention period, but the circumstances surrounding his arrest and the charges against him remain unclear.
The public and rights groups continue to call for greater transparency and adherence to legal standards in such cases.