Outrageous accusations against Dr. Riek Machar

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Outrageous Announcement of a Politically-Motivated Trial Against Dr. Riek Machar

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) expresses its profound outrage at the announcement by President Salva Kiir’s regime of a so-called trial against our Chairman, Dr. Riek Machar Teny.

This announcement is not about justice. It is about politics. It is a deliberate attempt to weaponize South Sudan’s courts in order to silence opposition and dismantle the fragile peace achieved through the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

The government’s move violates:

The Transitional Constitution which guarantees the right to due process and equal protection under the law.

The R-ARCSS (2018) which obligates all parties to reconciliation, inclusivity, and protection of political pluralism.

International human rights obligations, including fair trial rights enshrined in the ICCPR, to which South Sudan is a party.

This proceeding is nothing less than a travesty of justice. It has been scripted in advance by the Executive to create the illusion of legality while denying Dr. Machar—and, by extension, the South Sudanese people—the rights they are guaranteed under law.

The SPLM-IO calls upon:

IGAD, AU, and the UN to urgently intervene and prevent this miscarriage of justice.

The international legal community to mobilize independent defense mechanisms and closely monitor developments.

Diplomatic partners worldwide to recognize this trial for what it is: a politically orchestrated attack on peace, democracy, and reconciliation in South Sudan.

The world must not be misled. This is not justice. It is persecution, and it places the very future of South Sudan’s peace and stability in grave danger.

We demand an immediate halt to these proceedings.