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Abuses by South Sudan's National Security Service HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH “What Crime Was I Paying For?” Abuses by South Sudan’s National Security Service “What Crime Was I Paying For?” Abuses by South Sudan’s National Security Service Copyright © 2020 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-885-1 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org 2 DECEMBER 2020 ISBN: 978-1-62313-885-1 “What Crime Was I Paying For?” Abuses by South Sudan’s National Security Service Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... i Map ............................................................................................................................................ ii Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................4 Immediate Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 4 Medium Term Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 7 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 10 I. Background ............................................................................................................................ 13 Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services in the South ........................................................ 13 The National Security Service in South Sudan ...................................................................................... 14 The 2014 National Security Service Act (NSS Act) ................................................................................. 16 The NSS Since South Sudan’s Civil War ............................................................................................... 19 II. Abuses in NSS Detention Facilities ........................................................................................ 22 Torture and other Ill-Treatment of Detainees ........................................................................................ 25 Evidence of Sexual Violence ................................................................................................................ 28 Solitary Confinement .......................................................................................................................... 31 Arbitrary Arrests and Detentions .......................................................................................................... 32 Lack of Proper Documentation of Detainees ........................................................................................ 33 Lack of Access to Legal Counsel .......................................................................................................... 34 Denial of Visitors, Family ..................................................................................................................... 34 Deaths in Custody ............................................................................................................................... 35 Release from NSS detention ................................................................................................................ 37 Harsh Detention Conditions ................................................................................................................ 38 Impacts of Abusive NSS Detentions ..................................................................................................... 43 III. The Long Arm of the NSS ....................................................................................................... 45 Extrajudicial Killings by NSS ................................................................................................................ 45 Enforced Disappearances ................................................................................................................... 47 Cross-border Harassment and Forced Returns ..................................................................................... 49 Surveillance and Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 54 IV. Obstacles to Justice for NSS abuses ...................................................................................... 61 Failure to Investigate ........................................................................................................................... 62 Lack of Domestic Redress ................................................................................................................... 63 UN and Regional Options for Accountability ........................................................................................ 64 The Future of the NSS .......................................................................................................................... 66 V. Applicable Legal Standards ................................................................................................... 71 Prohibition on Arbitrary Detention ........................................................................................................71 Mistreatment of Persons in Custody .................................................................................................... 72 Sexual Violence .................................................................................................................................. 73 Rights in Detention ............................................................................................................................. 73 Right to Privacy and Protection Against Illegal Surveillance .................................................................. 74 Prohibition on Enforced Disappearances ............................................................................................. 75 Investigations and Accountability ....................................................................................................... 75 Crimes Against Humanity .................................................................................................................... 76 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... 77 Annex I: HRW Letter to South Sudan Minister for National Security ........................................... 78 Annex II: HRW Letter to Kenyan Authorities ................................................................................ 81 Annex III: HRW Letter to Ugandan Authorities ........................................................................... 85 Annex IV: Letter from Kenyan Authorities .................................................................................. 88 Annex V: HRW Letter to South Sudan National Security Service, March 2019 ............................ 89 Annex VI: HRW Letter to South Sudan National Security Service, December 2019 ...................... 90 4 Glossary Blue House Headquarters of the National Security Service in Juba and office of the Minister for National Security, which includes the main NSS detention site CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended Sudan’s long civil war in 2005 CTSAMM Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism EACJ East African Court of Justice FDs Former Detainees, a group of South Sudanese political figures accused of plotting a coup in the lead up to fighting in December 2013 GSB General Security Bureau, a branch of the NSS that deals with countering external/foreign threats IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development ISB Internal Security Bureau, a section in the NSS that deals with countering internal/domestic threats. MI Military Intelligence NISS National Intelligence and Security Service (Sudan) renamed as General Intelligence Services (GIS) in July 2019 NSS National Security Service (South Sudan) SPLM/A Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army SPLM/A-IO Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition SSHRC South Sudan Human Rights Commission, a national institution with the constitutional mandate to promote and protect of the human rights SSPDF South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, the renamed army of South Sudan TCSS Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan of 2011 i Map Locations of detention sites operated by South Sudan's National Security Service in Juba, South Sudan, as of December 2020. ii Summary South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) was established
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