The Special Court trying First Vice President Dr Riek Machar and seven co-accused has rejected a request by the fifth accused to have his testimony recorded by an in-house videographer.
The court dismissed the request on Wednesday, saying such an arrangement had not been provided to defendants who had already testified in the high-profile proceedings.
The fifth accused had asked the court to allow a court-based videographer to capture his testimony on video, arguing that the proceedings should be documented through audiovisual recording.
However, the Court ruled that granting the request would create a different arrangement for one defendant compared with those who had previously appeared before the court.
The decision comes as the court continues hearing a case arising from the March 2025 violence in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
Machar and the other accused are facing charges linked to the fighting, which raised renewed concerns over security and the implementation of South Sudan’s peace agreement.
The court’s decision on the recording request is expected to allow the proceedings to continue under the existing arrangements.
The trial has attracted significant public and political attention, with proceedings closely followed in South Sudan because of the senior political figures involved and the wider implications of the case.
