Lawyers appeal 2-year sentence for activist Peter Biar Ajak, demand reparations for Terrain Hotel attack

A lawyer representing jailed activist Peter Biar Ajak has filed an appeal challenging his two- year prison sentence. 

Philip Anyang says the appeal was filed before the High Court on Monday, on grounds that it is in contravention of Peter Biar’s right to freedom of speech.  

A special court in Juba on the 11th of this month sentenced the economist and activist for disturbing the peace, in relation to giving interviews to foreign media after he was arrested on treason charges that were subsequently dropped.  

In a separate development, Philip Anyang who also represented the owners of the Terrain Hotel in their case, is asking court to attach the property of the Ministry of Defence to oblige them to pay $2.2 mln in compensation for damages caused to the hotel during an attack by government soldiers in July 2016.  

Anyang spoke to George Livio in this short interview.