Prisoners at Juba Central Prison on the Occasion of Eid Al Fitr upon the visit of Somali Business Association, 03.05.2022

Seven inmates have been released from the Juba Central Prison after their debts were cleared Tuesday.

Their release comes on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr festivities. At the time of their release, there were two thousand four hundred inmates at the Prison.

Some of the convicts were jailed over minor charges such as failing to pay borrowed money and court fines.

The debts were paid by the Somali Business Association.

“…. those prisoners have already served their jail terms and only failed to pay their respective fines and today we have succeeded to pay those fines so that they can be released and be free”, Abdullahi Hassan Ali, the Chief Executive Officer of the Somali Business Association in Juba said.

Hassan said each convict whose identities were not disclosed was freed at a fee of between 40,000 and 200,000 South Sudanese Pounds.

“It is the Somali people who have contributed these amounts of money to facilitate the release of these people because it is now Eid al Fiter”, he said.

Hassan added, the discharge of the unnamed inmates is part of a call to help the needy during the Eid al Fitr festival.

This, he believes, will also help decongest congestion in the facility.

He called on the freed prisoners to join other South Sudanese in building the nation.

“Majority of them are there for small offenses and they can go back and take part in building the nation as you have seen. The majority of them are young.”

For his part, Maj Gen Bak Anyar Pangar, Deputy Director of Juba Central Prisons confirmed the payment of the debts to ensure the release of the inmates.

“Year, before one week ago, we have sorted out those who have been fined for that amount,they requested and they brough the money and the money is paid for the various courts and they came back with the receipts that they paid the amount.

‘Today, we released them because their debts have been paid already by these donations from the Somalia Community through the Islamic Council of South Sudan.”

Starting yesterday [ Monday], Muslims in South Sudan have joined their fellows around the world to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr.

Eid al-Fitr is a religious holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting also known as Ramadan.

Last year, the South Sudan Islamic Council and the Achai Wiir Foundation helped facilitate the release of eight inmates in a similar fashion.