Aweil East County court judge, Adhallah Deng Tong, is facing intense backlash after sentencing a staff member of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) to a month in jail for contempt of court.
The sentence stems from allegations that the accused Michael Malong Mayar disrupted a court proceeding in Wanyjok, when he attended a session while drunk and reportedly engaged in a fight with police officers.
Malong was sentenced to one month in jail and fined SSP 300,000 for his actions.
Church leaders are pushing back against the court ruling. Reacting to the sentence, Bishop James Mamer Manot of Wanyjok diocese condemned the judge’s decision, labeling it illegal and demanding Malong’s immediate release.
Bishop Mamer criticized the judge for allegedly providing false information regarding the incident. He threatened legal action if Malong is not freed.
“I didn’t know that the court had done enough. I don’t know how to put it now. Because I thought the court could just write something correct, you know? And give the public accurate information. Malong never drank in his lifetime. You know? Malone never drinks. And he has just put that one there to give false information to the public,” Mamer said.
According to the bishop, Malong attended the said court session as a complainant but was accused of being intoxicated and subsequently beaten by police under the judge’s orders.
He warned that such actions could prompt the church leadership to take legal measures against perceived injustices.
“This is not correct. I’m sending my people to the court, together with the commissioner. And I will see what they will say. And if they don’t respond, if they don’t release Malong, then I will take other measures. Okay. This is not acceptable,” he warned.
Mamer emphasized that legal institutions are meant to protect individual rights, not to unjustly punish or harm people.
“Malong must be released today, because there is no basis for putting Malong in prison for more than one week. And I want to say to the public, Malong must be released today. If Malong is not released, then as a church, we will take other measures. And it will not be good for them,” he added.
“They put people in prison baselessly and Malong is a man of integrity.”
Meanwhile, Joseph Aduong Lual, a relative of the jailed ECSS staff member, claimed he also faced detention and a defamation charge for questioning the legal procedures used by the county court.
Aduong said after learning of Malong’s sentence, he wrote an article on social media criticizing the legality of the court’s actions. His post led to his arrest for alleged defamation.
“So, I put all this story in a written form in my Facebook account, and there the judge said that this post contained defamation for him personally and the institution, so that was the reason I was arrested. Now, I am released on bail,” Aduong claimed.
In defense of his actions, Judge Adhallah Deng Tong denied the allegations against him that he had sentenced Mr. Malong unjustly. He stated that Malong’s behavior during the proceedings warranted the arrest.
“He was disrupting a court proceeding, which was why I arrested him. I don’t arrest people who are drunk in the Bar. But just because he was drunk and came to the court premises and started fighting with the police officer, that is why he faced the consequence,” Deng clarified.
The situation remains tense as community leaders and church officials continue to advocate for Malong’s release and they challenge the legal proceedings that led to his imprisonment.
