PRESS STATEMENT Date:02/07/2013 South Sudan Law Society Elects New Board of Directors Juba, July 2, 2013—On June 29, 2013, the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) conducted its first General Assembly of the postwar period. In the two-day General Assembly meeting, SSLS members elected a new Board of Directors, comprised of some of the most distinguished judges and lawyers in South Sudan. This election was the first that the organization has conducted since the last General Assembly in 2004, and is part of its efforts to progressively develop the SSLS to provide much-needed services to the legal profession and its clients. The new SSLS Board of Directors is comprised of five members: • John Clement Kuc, a former court of appeals judge in Upper Nile State and a leading advocate of judicial reform, was elected chairperson of the SSLS Board; • Ajonye Perpetua, formerly county court judge and legal adviser in the office of the president and currently serving as the Chairperson of the Central Equatoria State Land Commission, was elected deputy chairperson; • Wani Mattias, a prominent advocate and member of the South Sudan Advocates for Human Rights, was elected Secretary-General; • Julia Akur, a legal adviser in the RSS Ministry of Petroleum and Mining and Executive Director of the South Sudan Women Lawyers Association (SSWLA), was elected as a Board Member; and • Issa Muzamil, a prominent advocate and outstanding Human rights activist in South Sudan, was also elected as a Board Member. South Sudan’s justice system has been confronted with many challenges in the postwar period. Arbitrary arrest and unlawful detentions pervade justice and security sector institutions. Discrimination against women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and the rural poor pervade the justice system. Perpetrators of inter-communal and politically-motivated violence are able to commit heinous crimes with impunity. The task of the new Board is to lead the SSLS in its ongoing efforts to advocate against injustice and promote respect for rule of law and human rights. The Board will work hand-in-hand with the existing SSLS Secretariat to ensure that it continues to provide meaningful legal services to the people of South Sudan and supports the efforts of the legal profession to organize itself in defense off the Constitution. “We are facing a lot of challenges as judges and advocates in South Sudan,” said Wani Mattias, the incoming SSLS Secretary General. “Only by working hand in hand as legal professionals can we overcome these obstacles and establish a system that is worthy of the sacrifices made by the people of South Sudan, past and present.” The History of the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) The SSLS was founded in 1994 by a group of lawyers from South Sudan. During the second civil war (1983-2005), the SSLS was at the forefront of advocacy for rule of law and human rights in South Sudan. SSLS members participated in the drafting of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the 2005 National Interim Constitution, the 2005 Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan, and the 2011 Transitional Constitution. The SSLS conducts programs in a variety of areas, including legal aid, community paralegal training, human rights awareness-raising, capacity-building for legal professionals, traditional authorities, and government institutions, and organizing citizen input into the constitutional development process. It currently has 80 registered members throughout South Sudan. The SSLS started its operations in Nairobi in 1994 before relocating to Rumbek in 2002. In 2005, the organization established its office in Juba. The SSLS currently has nine offices in six of the ten states of South Sudan, including: Upper Nile, Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria and Lakes. In its near 20 years of existence, the SSLS has had the honor of being led by some of the greatest legal minds in South Sudan: • Hon. John Luk Jok, currently serving as the Minister of Justice, was the first SSLS Chairperson. He served from 1994 to 1996. • Hon. Telar Ring Deng, currently serving as Legal Advisor to H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardiit, President of South Sudan, was the second SSLS chairperson. He served from 1996 to 2000. • Dr. Peter Nyot Kok, was the third SSLS chairperson. He served from 2000 to 2002. • Hon. William Ajal Deng, currently serving as an MP in the South Sudan National Assembly, was the fourth chairperson. He served from 2002 to 2013. The incoming chairperson, Hon. John Clement Kuc, has continued in this distinguished tradition. “If we all join our hands together as South Sudanese, there is nothing we cannot accomplish,” Clement said. “We have proved that through the blood that our people spilled to liberate this land.” Contacts: Peter Gai Manyuon Senior Communications Specialist South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) Tel: +211 (0) 956 257 038 Email: southsudanlawsociety@gmail
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 15:12:50 +0000
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