"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.
South Sudanese Writer, ECS Abuna and SPLM/A Major, Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan Awuol, who was killed by unknown gunmen at his Gudele House in Juba City, South Sudan, on Wednesday night, December 5th, 2012.
This poem is to eulogize our late hero and brother in the field of media, Isaiah Abraham for immense contributions he made to see into it that our people are able to speak out their minds.
Cries of innocent blood
By Atok Dan
Your blood, Your life have all gone, Sooner than expected but forever You were a rare gift in the field of pen they envied you because of your acumen The jealous and greedy tribe of our nation slain you Have all let your precious blood spilled Your innocent blood he gifted you You were an iconic in your field They abhorred your talent The worthy asset of our house Your life was banished, Cries of innocent blood Your lion heart will survive traumas Suppressed pressures, Will live to tell the tale of brevity For we will never have you again, Only him who moulded you, Would weigh the cause, Of what your blood went for, In a nation where citizens’ lives are priceless Your departure is an end and a beginning, Millions of suppressed lives, Have gone but neither did pressures lessen Or even cowed, But thrilled to pursue a just cause Cries of innocent blood For and before none, Your life has gone like it had already gone You still wield impact of worries in them Their hands still drip with blood, And your beloved mother, Draped in black robe Of mourning, Your wife, kids and siblings, In total desperation It hefty, Tomorrow shall it be weighty on them Rejoice the killers of innocent soul Cries of innocent blood of a man —
New York Times A South Sudanese online journalist was shot and killed late Wednesday outside his home in the capital, Juba, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The journalist, Diing Chan Awuol, who wrote for a number of online news outlets in South…
Yahoo! News (blog) JUBA (Reuters) – A South Sudanese blogger and government critic has been shot dead in his home, a week after unknown men threatened to kill him unless he stopped writing, his family said on Thursday. Police confirmed that Diing Chan Awuol, who wrote …
BloombergSouth Sudanese authorities should investigate the killing of journalist Isaiah Abraham, an outspoken critic of the government, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and his brother said. Abraham was shot dead early yesterday after …
The Australian A SOUTH Sudanese reporter often critical of the government has been shot dead at his home in the capital Juba, colleagues say, adding that he been recently threatened to stop writing. Diing Chan Awuol, who wrote for news websites including Sudan …
South Sudan Government Critic Shot Dead Naharnet
A South Sudanese journalist often critical of government was shot dead at his home in the capital Juba, colleagues said Thursday, adding that he been recently threatened to stop writing. Diing Chan Awuol, who wrote for news websites including Sudan …
Reporters Without BordersPress release 6 December 2012
SOUTH SUDAN
Opinion writer gunned down outside Juba home
Reporters Without Borders is deeply saddened to learn that Diing Chan Awuol, a leading columnist and critic of South Sudan’s government, was gunned down outside his home in Juba in the early hours of yesterday.An advocate of peace between the two Sudans, Awuol wrote frequent columns for the Sudan Tribune and Gurtong websites and the newspaper Destiny under the pen-name of Isaias Abraham. “His death is a tragic setback to the hopes cherished by South Sudan’s defenders of freedom of opinion since independence,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We hail the determination displayed by the South Sudanese police, who have pledged to carry out a thorough and effective investigation.
“The way this case is handled will be test for freedom of information and free speech in this young nation. Only a tireless fight against impunity for crimes of violence against journalists and other news providers will preserve these freedoms, which are the basis of democracy.”Several journalists such as Alan Boswell, Taban Bonifacio and John Madol Panther have been the target of recent intimidation attempts after criticizing the South Sudanese authorities. Awuol’s last column, published on the Sudan Tribune website on 28 November, was a renewed call for peace between Sudan and South Sudan.
When interviewed by a Reporters Without Borders representative in May 2012, information and media minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin took pride in the fact that no South Sudanese journalist had ever been killed in connection with his work.While the motive for Awuol’s murder has yet to be established, the threats he had received in connection with his columns suggest that it was directly linked to the views he expressed.
One of Awuol’s relative told the Sudan Tribune: “I knew he would one day be assassinated for his writings and I told him to stop but he said he would prefer to die than to stop writing.”
For more information on the state of freedom of information in South Sudan, see the Report “World’s youngest country yet to embark on road to civil liberties” released in July 2012.
By Anti-traitors!
Kiir assassinated him. In other he ordered his thugs to kill him. Those thugs are leaded by Akol Paul Khor and Acuil Manol respectively. We won’t be fooled by Gogrial’s thugs anymore. Enough is enough. Isaiah death must be avenged!!By Akolde Nhiak Jinub Indeed, Isaiah died because of his open expression 4 a just cause. He died 4 a simple thing: de bitter truth. I am one person having been threatened n quoted. I do solemnly write, but my current work has thwarted my time, thus, taking longer than I would wish to write. South Sudan Security services is exactly a duplicate of Khartoum NISS. His death marks a new dawn 4 us writers 2 continue de fight! Quotes By Isaiah Abraham That Must Have Cost His Life
1. “The document should not have gone like that, people. Unfortunately, little did we know that Kiir has become another (Abyei Chief) Deng Majok who exchanged his ancestral land rights for a single meal? Shame on Kiir and his cohorts! Kiir must go! He is a useless leader this country could have. His foul mouthing is not tolerable anymore.”
2. “Mile 14 and Panthou are sold out for no reasons at all. Oil or no oil, we have been cheated by a ruthless clique in Juba.”
3. My people have suffered under President Kiir and his heartless clique; I have no kind words again against these people.
4. The demonstration we made as people of South Sudan on Monday, not as Northern Bahr El Ghazal people, will go down in history as the beginning of things to come.
5. Mr. President is not apologetic and this is worrying. The people of this country deserve a leader that respects their views. We have never had problems with him since he accidently ascended to power in 2005, because the situation dictated that people exercise patience.
6. For the past eight years we have learned bitterly that Mr. Kiir is the problem and should be removed. He has failed us in many fronts, and on this matter of land he must not be forgiven.
7. Our men in uniform in Mile 14 therefore are to remain in their places and let Mulana Makuei, Mbeki or Pagan come and dislodge them by force. AU must deploy any troops around Mile 14. We will see how to go about Panthou and Abyei now that someone is selling our lands to Arabs.”
PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.
