Highlights
- How Biar was arrested while travelling to Aweil
- Kept in solitary confinement for 9 days
- Why he escaped after being pardoned by the President Kiir
In this exclusive interview, Biar explains how he was arrested and what he saw while in the blue house. Biar said Angelo Kuot Garang who is also South Sudanese Australian in the list of the sanctioned individuals in South Sudan, threatened him with death.
When Biar was arrested, South Sudanese-Australian who works at the national security was tasked to investigate him. These are some of the quotes picked from the podcast, which is in Dinka. Biar explained how the what National Security Blue House is inside and the way people are treated.?
"What kind of prison is the Blue House? There many people who are arrested in the Blue House. They are people brought in from different parts of the country, especially people from Aweil after Akol Koor had some problems with Malong Awan. Many young people from Aweil are arrested there and other detainees who are caught because of their politics. There other former National Security Officers also arrested inside there. Other robbers are also detained there. There are over 200 hundred people inside there."
While many people who are arrested by the National Security have not seen their day in court and even given a chance to explain themselves, Biar said he was investigated. The line of questioning was based on his opinions or posts on social media platforms.
"I was the only lucky to have my investigation initiated by the National Security, but there are people who have been there for long. There is one young man called Lado, and he has been there for four years, and no one ever attended or interview him about his case. All those who came with him to Blue House have died, and he is the only one left alive. The single accusation against him is a rebel. It is hard for the relative to visit, and even if they were to come, they would be turned away. "
Many reports have emerged that the Blue House, where many people have seen the worse kind of torturing. The death of Dong Luak and Idri can be taken as one of them. Biar said the worse inside the blue house is there. Even if he was not tortured, some of the inmates were tortured.
"It is important for me to say this since I was arrested, no one at National Security laid a hand on me at National Security, but other people are tortured. No one slapped, kicked or hit me with anything, and that is one of the things I thank God for because nothing happened to me. For the rest of the inmates, you will hear that a person is caught and then they (security officers) will yell out,'bring the knife, bring the lash, the axe, bring the machete, bring the hammer, and the nail.....after ten minutes; you will hear the sound of a person crying echoing everywhere. Torturing start usually from 10 pm to 5 am and you will listen to the cry the whole night. If you are there, you almost go crazy.
South Sudan is a conservative society, but the allegation about the sodomisation of men and rapping of women inside the National Security facility is seen to be telling a different story about the country. Biar confirmed that there many cases like these but victims have are either silence.
"After you are tortured, they will then bring you back to prison with blood all over you. You will be told not to touch water or bath for one of two weeks... Again, after you are beaten, the person(officer) will remove the condom and said,' it has been a long time for me without me having sex with a male, and now that you are here, you will be the person to do it with.' You can then hear the agonising cry from a person...this has happened to our own Dinka persons who have been humiliated and sodomised inside there. This has created a serious bitterness with people who have been to this situation. "
Others persons whose names appeared in this story Angelo Kuot Garang who came to Australia in 2003 and Abud Stephen and both were sanction by the USA Treasury Department. The Treasury believed to have the connection to the ' killing of Aggrey Idri, a member of a Sudanese opposition party, and Dong Samuel Luak, a South Sudanese human rights lawyer'.
Kuot Garang Kuot (right) with General Garang Mabiil - Facebook (right) - Facebook Source: SBS
"The interrogation team was led by an Australian-South Sudanese known as Angelo Kuot Garang who was sanctioned recently. Everything that I was questioned of was based on opinions that I have put out including my call for sanctions on the New York Times. All my Facebook and Twitter posts were collected, and these are the thing I was being asked why I wrote them?.... Angelo Kuot Garang then repeated the threat that was used by another officer call Abud, and he said, 'do you know what National Security can do in this country?...my reply to them was that only God could protect one but do whatever you decided. "
Note: These are quotes taken out of the long speech which was in Dinka. The sequence may not be the same when listening to the podcast.
