Lakes state teachers demonstrate on the streets to demand allowances, February 19, 2014 | Credit: Sudan Tribune

The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization has urged the government of Lakes State to ‘unconditionally release’ 12 teachers who are currently in detention for rejecting salary and demanding an increment.

The teachers were reportedly arrested on Monday after repudiating a two months salary and conducting a protest in the state capital Rumbek last week.

In a press statement signed by CEPO’s Coordinator in the state, the primary and secondary school teachers were detained after they staged a peaceful march to the parliament.

The dozen teachers marched to the state parliament to demand salary increment and allowances.

However, CEPO reports, the teachers namely Ater Ariau, Mabor Malith, Ater Ahou, Emmanuel Mapuor, Nelson Arop Majak Machok, Paul Thon, and DengWilliam were rounded up on orders of the minister of education.

“CEPO condemned this detention in the strongest term possible and calls for an immediate and unconditional release of the teachers,” reads the statement.

The civil society organization termed the detention of the teaching staff as an intimidation of civil rights.

“These teachers were peacefully demanding their constitutional rights from the authorities. It is their right to demand their allowances as per the new salary scale,” CEPO said.

The rights body also cautioned the state government against “using detention as tradition to intimidate and harass” civil servants.

The statement linked with the state coordinator Daniel Laat Kon also appealed to Governor Riny Tueny Mabor to intervene and secure the release of the school teachers.

However, the state authorities are yet to comment on the matter.