Puot Kang Chol, the first accused in the ongoing Special Court case linked to the Nasir conflict, delivered an emotional testimony on Friday, alleging humiliation during detention and accusing senior government officials of fueling the violence that later engulfed parts of Upper Nile State.
Resuming his defense before the Special Court in Juba, Puot Kang challenged the prosecution’s evidence and questioned the credibility of the digital forensic reports presented against him and his co-accused.
He argued that the reports contained contradictions, inconsistencies, and lacked official signatures and stamps despite being central to charges carrying possible life imprisonment or death sentences.
Kang denied allegations that he participated in planning attacks against SSPDF positions in Nasir or facilitated the purchase and distribution of weapons.
“We have never met physically or virtually to discuss any agenda against the implementation of the peace agreement or to attack the garrison in Nasir,” he told the court.
In one of the most emotional moments of the hearing, the senior SPLM/A-IO official described what he called degrading treatment while in detention, claiming that the vehicle used to transport the accused persons to court was marked with insulting words targeting them.
“We have undergone enough humiliation that the system could think of, including us being referred to as dogs. The car that you see standing outside here, which is used to bring us to this honourable court, has someone written inside ‘seven dogs jebu’. We raised this to the former Director General of National Security Services when he came to visit, so he formed a committee, and it was confirmed,” Kang Chol told the Special Court on Friday.
Puot Kang further accused several senior officials of contributing to the outbreak of violence through inflammatory statements, arrests of SPLM/A-IO officials, and the deployment of non-unified forces to Nasir instead of unified forces as provided for under the peace agreement.
He also claimed that members of the Nuer community were unfairly targeted following the arrests and the escalation of violence.
“If being a Nuer is a crime, then we are all Nuer and we should be ready to face whatever comes with it,” he stated during the proceedings.
The first accused also maintained that the case against him and his colleagues was political rather than criminal, saying he was before the court because he refused to betray his community, party, and SPLM/A-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar.
“I am before this honorable court not because I committed any offense, but because I refused to betray my community, my party, and my leader,” he said.
The Special Court continues hearing the high-profile case involving several SPLM/A-IO figures accused in connection with the Nasir violence and related offenses.
