Suspect Agany Kut Aguil (left) was produced before a GBV Court in Juba for the first time on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. (Photo: Michael Daniel).

The Court of Appeal in Juba has rejected a plea to have the case of a man accused of gouging the eyes of his daughter transferred to where the crime was committed but agreed to the request of his defense lawyer to grant him access to an interpreter.

In September 2023, the defense lawyers of Agany Kuot Achuil requested for a change of court venue from Juba to Tonj.

Lawyer Anthony Chol also asked the court to remove his client from solitary confinement and grant bail to prepare his defense team.

But the calls were rejected by the Gender-Based Violence Court.

Councilor Chol raised five motions to the court but only one was accepted.

Later, on September 3, the advocate Chol filed an appeal against the GBV Court decision to the Court of Appeal while the case was being considered.

He presented the 5 motions that he previously requested at the GBV court.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal issued a 6-page verdict dated September 19, 2023 and released on Monday October 16.

The panel of three court of appeal judges was chaired by Judge Paul Lual Wang with judges Kulang Jerbom Machuor and Sumaya Saleh Abdullah as members.

While giving its legal opinion on the case, the panel accepted the defense lawyer’s request for an interpreter to the defendant but rejected the transfer request.

The panel of judges also ruled that the case is to be returned to the GBV Court to hear the indictment case, which is scheduled for October 20.

Agany Kut Achuil, a pharmacist in Tonj East County was arrested in April 2023 following a “horrific” domestic violent assault against his own daughter for refusing an arranged marriage.

He is being tried for the crimes of Voluntarily Causing Grievous Hurt without Provocation and Attempted Murder.

In the case of conviction, Agany could be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or with a fine or both, in accordance with the South Sudan penal code.