South Sudan soldiers jailed for 2016 murder and rape in hotel rampage
A South Sudanese military judge on Thursday jailed 10 soldiers for a July 2016 rampage in which a journalist was killed and five international aid workers were gang-raped.
Brig Gen Knight Briano convicted and sentenced two soldiers to life in prison for the murder of the South Sudanese reporter.
The judge found three other soldiers guilty of rape, four guilty of sexual harassment and one guilty of theft and armed robbery. They received sentences ranging between seven and 14 years.
Reports at the time claimed nearby UN peacekeepers failed to answer pleas for help as the Terrain Hotel compound in Juba was overrrun by dozens of soldiers.
The case was regarded as a test of whether South Sudan’s legal system would hold the military to account for crimes committed during the country’s five-year civil war.
Diplomats and activists welcomed the verdict but said many other victims had yet to receive justice and urged the government to hold more trials.
The army hopes the trial will act as a deterrent to other soldiers while reassuring civilians that anyone who commits a crime will be punished, army spokesman Col Domic Chol Santo said.
“This is important because the army has been accused of a great deal of rape, sexual harassment and all forms of violations, and it’s not part of our doctrine,” Col Santo said.
Many were pleased by the verdicts. “I am very happy,” said one rape victim who had returned to South Sudan to testify. “I won, we won, women won. It is important to fight for our rights and never give up.”
Jehanne Henry of Human Rights Watch said: “The process was far from perfect but it shows that justice can be done where there is political will to do so.”
But Ms Henry said the case showed “how far South Sudan has to go to provide real justice and accountability for atrocities committed in this war”.
The French ambassador to South Sudan, Jean-Yves Roux, said he hoped the verdict sent a message that violence and impunity were not “business as usual and that this trial opens the way for others”.
Some observers criticised the fact that only low-ranking soldiers were tried, but their commanders were not.
“We continue to push for commanders to be held responsible and not only for the low-level people to be picked on,” said Andrew Clapham of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.
“That’s the only way we’re going to be able to prevent these things in the future – if the commanders feel that there is some accountability and punishment.”