Authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, in collaboration with local partners, released 20 young inmates from Aweil State Prison on Wednesday afternoon, a senior official confirmed.
Maj. Gen. John Angok Deng, director of Aweil State Prison, told Radio Tamazuj that the 20 inmates had been sentenced for minor offenses.
“Hope Africa South Sudan, in collaboration with Aweil High Court and Aweil State Prison, has officially released 20 inmates convicted of petty crimes today,” Deng said. “I urge them to continue supporting the prison.”
He said the facility, which currently holds 729 inmates, is overcrowded. “The total inmate count was 729, but now we have 709 adults plus three infants,” he said.
Bol Makuach, team leader for Hope Africa South Sudan (HASS), thanked the U.N. Development Program and the Japanese government for funding the initiative, which supports youth in legal proceedings.
“We are implementing this program with UNDP support, funded by the people of Japan, to provide legal representation for young people in difficult situations,” Makuach said.
One of the released inmates, Benjamin Anthony, expressed relief after being detained for six months over a dispute involving a mobile phone SIM card.
“It was my first time being sentenced in Aweil. When my name was called, I didn’t know what would happen,” Anthony said. “I was imprisoned for six months over a SIM card issue. I had no money for release, and my family lives in Wau.”