The Juba Monitor daily newspaper has filed an appealed court to secure the release of Anne Nimiriano, Editor-in Chief of the newspaper, who was arrested on Tuesday, 19 April 2022.
Mr. Lazarus Leju, Lawyer of Juba Monitor, says the appealed was submitted to the high court saying his client’s arrest is against legal procedures for the court of appeal.
The Chief Editor of Juba Monitor, Anna Nimiriano, was arrested at Juba Central Prison for not contending a court order that directed newspaper closure.
The leading English daily newspaper management has been at loggerhead with the family of late Alfred Taban, former Editor-in-chief, over ownership of the company and resources sharing.
A court ruled last week suspended activities of Juba Monitor Newspaper over malpractices until a final ruling is made.
Lawyer Lazarus Patia says the company is not certified with the court order, and they have submitted a letter to the court of appeal.
“The order was passed on 12 April, we filed an appeal on 13, and the court of appeal requested the judge to forward the case file. But eh delay is due to the holiday until the appeal was submitted on Tuesday this week,” Patia said.
He criticized his client’s arrest, saying the judge doesn’t have the right to issue an arrest warrant after the appeal is filed.
“This arrest is not right. It’s a kind of arbitrary arrest because the judge, upon the reception of a letter from the court of appeal, does not have the right to order an arrest,” he stated.
The Lawyer of Late Alfred Taban’s family has welcomed the arrest, saying that the Editor-in-Chief, Nimiriano violated the court order.
Lawyer Becu Pitia Lagu said the newspaper management failed to close their activities, including bank accounts, which he described as “against the court ruling.”
“Court orders are supposed to be effective immediately, but Anna Nimiriano, the top manager of Juba Monitor, did not follow the court order.”
He (Becu) says the newspaper management will appear in court next 25 April to ensure this case is resolved.