The family of the detained South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) journalist, Alfred Angasi Dominic, has called on the government to release him.

Angasi’s sister, Cecilia Edward, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that they have not seen the detained journalist nor heard his voice for the last three weeks. Cecilia appealed to the government of South Sudan to release her brother so he can go home if the SSBC management is no longer interested in his services.

“I appeal to the government to release our brother Angasi. And if the management of SSBC is no longer interested in his work, let them not torture my brother psychologically, his family still needs him. He should be released peacefully so he can come back home. There are so many jobs the family can find for him,” she said.

Cecilia says the family is in suspense and living in apprehension due to the continued detention of their brother citing that he has a medical condition.

“I am appealing to the government to release him because of recent Angasi was sick and was told by the doctor not to eat certain types of foods and avoid staying in cold temperatures,” she added

 The President of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), Patrick Oyet Charles, also appealed to authorities to release the detained journalist immediately.

“We are appealing to the authorities to release Alfred Angasi. We are also appealing to SSBC to cooperate with us so that Alfred gets out. Many people are looking at the issue of Alfred as the only problem, but the issue is that if one person or journalist is arrested, it affects everybody. Everyone will be scared, especially if the issue involves security,” Oyet said.

He said Angasi has been in detention for nearly three weeks and has since not been accessed by both the family and the Union.

Angasi, who has worked at the SSBC for the last ten years as a newsreader was first arrested by the National Security Service (NSS) on 2 July for not reading news content which included President Salva Kiir’s decrees announcing members of the Council of State. He was released on 4 July but again rearrested the next day and has been in detention since.

Several efforts to reach Magok Chillim, the SSBC managing director, via phone were unsuccessful.