National Security officials in Maridi State on Saturday detained Isaac Van, a sports journalist working with Maridi FM.

The radio station’s manager, Bakindo Stephen, told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon that National Security agents manhandled sports journalist Isaac Van and took him to their custody.

“Isaac Van is still in detention, so we are calling for his immediate release from jail. The national security claimed Isaac has been reporting wrong information about the sports,” Bakindo said.

“The journalist was arrested shortly after discussing problems and challenges facing the local sport in the studio,” he added.

The station manager said the arbitrary detention of Isaac is the latest brazen attack against freedom of the press, calling on the media regulatory authority to intervene immediately.

“The Media Authority is the relevant body that can handle issues of journalists, so I want the Media Authority to handle our issues as journalists, not National Security Service,” he stressed.

Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. 

South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) has broad powers of surveillance, arrest and detention.

South Sudan ranks 139 out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2019 global press freedom index.