The high-profile trial of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny and seven senior members of the SPLM-IO resumed on Monday before a special three-judge panel in Juba.
With the prosecution presenting a significant batch of evidence aimed at linking the defendants to the deadly clashes in Nasir earlier this year. Here are the key points from the latest court session:
The lead investigator presented an autopsy report and death certificate of the late Major General David Majur Dak, a senior South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) officer killed during the March Nasir clashes.
Additionally, death certificates for 256 SSPDF soldiers who lost their lives in the same fighting were submitted to the court as part of the evidence package.
The prosecution also introduced an administrative report compiled by the SSPDF, which included video and audio recordings purportedly showing the involvement of SPLM-IO members in the Nasir incident.
The report further presented alleged financial records that prosecutors claim link the accused to the coordination and funding of the violent clashes. A total of 14 attachments accompanied the report.
A separate expert report and digital forensic analysis containing 15 attachments was also presented, detailing electronic communications and other digital data allegedly tying the accused to the violence.
However, the court deferred the admission of this evidence until the expert responsible for compiling it appears to testify in person.
After reviewing the submissions, the three-judge panel accepted all documents presented by the prosecution except for the expert report and digital evidence, which remain pending the expert’s testimony.
The decision highlights the court’s emphasis on verifying the authenticity and credibility of technical evidence before it becomes part of the official record.
The special tribunal, established to try those accused of orchestrating the Nasir violence, adjourned the hearing until Wednesday, 8 October, at 9:30 a.m.
The upcoming session is expected to include the expert witness testimony and further examination of the evidence.
The trial — one of the most closely watched legal proceedings since the 2018 peace deal centers on allegations that Dr. Machar and his co-accused played a direct role in organizing and financing the Nasir clashes, which claimed hundreds of lives and threatened to derail South Sudan’s fragile peace process.
