Photo via odyssei.com

Sudan: Catholic radio journalist is hurt in media house raid

The Juba police and the local reserve have denied any involvement in the raid of a Catholic radio station where a female journalist was attacked on December 7, reports CISA. The female journalist was seriously injured after a group of about 20 officers from the Central Equatoria State South Sudan Police Service stormed the premises of Bakhita Radio in an unprecedented attack.

According to the Director of Bakhita FM Radio, Sr. Cecilia Sierra Salcido, the officers came in full riot gear and handcuffs, entered the radio premises through a gap in the fence before attacking a female journalist. The incident occurred on December 7, 2009.

The shouts from the attack alerted the rest of the staff who were inside the building who rushed out in an attempt to rescue their colleague.

The unidentified officers accused the woman journalist of having insulted them by calling them names. They violently dragged her on the ground and threatened to arrest her.

They also threatened to beat the director and the rest of the staff members who had come out in her defense.

Against protests from the station management, they roughly dragged the journalist on the ground and pushed her into a ditch, where they threatened to cover her with soil.

Sr. Cecilia said that the woman was taken to hospital by members of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission and that she has resumed work, although she is still traumatized by her experience.

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TAGS: Sudan Catholic radio media house raid Bakhita FM Radio female journalist

[12/20/2009]

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