A South Sudanese man who was abducted in Kenya two months ago and deported to South Sudan, where he was held at a military facility, has been released, his family said on Monday.
Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit Guet, also known as Gaddafi, was living in Nairobi, where he had repeatedly said his life was in danger because he was exposing corruption allegedly linked to South Sudan’s ruling elite.
Gaddafi, who is originally from Jonglei state, also holds Kenyan identification documents, according to his family.
“We are very happy that Al-Gaddhaffy has been returned to us after being abducted from Kenya and held in detention in Juba for almost two months,” the family said in a statement.
He was released on Aug. 8 after investigations “did not reveal any wrongdoing”, the family said, adding that authorities had never told them why he was detained.
The family said his health had deteriorated during his detention and that he was receiving medical treatment in Kenya.
South Sudanese authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.
Human rights groups and United Nations investigators have documented a series of cases over the past decade involving South Sudanese activists, opposition figures and government critics who were abducted, deported or forcibly returned from Kenya.
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