South Sudanese student pardoned
Publish date: 13 January 2020
Issue Number: 855
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: General
A Cambridge University student who had been detained in a ‘modern-day hellhole’ in South Sudan has been pardoned and released. Government critic Peter Biar Ajak was studying for a PhD when arrested in July 2018. BBC News reports that he was sentenced to two years in prison in June, but his lawyer, Jared Genser, confirmed that he was released this weekend. ‘He is a brilliant and tireless advocate for peace in South Sudan and for ensuring the voices of the country's youth are heard and respected. His detention was a travesty of justice,’ Genser said.
