Juba, September 20, 2013 (SSNA) — It is my great pleasure to introduce to you the inaugural edition of In Brief, a periodic newsletter from the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) highlighting issues of interest in South Sudan’s justice sector.
This edition of In Brief covers a diverse array of topics.
- Victor Lowilla’s article on pretrial detention explains how criminal defendants in South Sudan are all too often treated as ‘guilty until proven innocent’.
- Victor Bol’s piece on civil society’s efforts to have their interests reflected in a new NGO Bill shows the positive impact that an organized civil society can have on governance and rule of law.
- Alicia Luedke’s analysis of conflicts that are emerging over the demarcation of administrative boundaries points an urgent need for the Government of South Sudan to clarify its position on community landownership.
- David Deng’s article on homicide rates in Akobo and Pibor sheds new light on the scale of inter-communal and politically motivated violence in Jonglei State.
We hope that these brief snapshots of the SSLS’s work can be of use to academics and practitioners interested in the inner workings of justice systems in our new nation.
For additional information about the SSLS, including a list of our publications and a regularly updated database of South Sudanese laws, visit the SSLS website at www.sslawsociety.org.
Yours sincerely,
Wani Mattias
Secretary-General, SSLS
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Pretrial Detention in South Sudan – By Victor Lowilla
The VHO Bill: A Looming Threat for Civil Society? – By Victor Bol
Increasing Conflict Over Internal Boundaries in South Sudan – By Alicia Luedke
Murder Rates at Wartime Levels in Jonglei State – By David Deng