Juba County Commissioner Charles Joseph Wani - Credit: Awan Moses/Eye Radio

Former Juba County Commissioner is appealing to the incarcerators of Kalisto Ladu to ensure his safety and hand him over to the police if there is a case against him.

Charles Joseph Wani said the former Juba mayor is a resourceful South Sudanese citizen who should not be persecuted for exercising his constitutional right to free speech.

Kalisto was kidnapped near his residence on the night of 30th March by heavily armed security personnel to an undisclosed location.

His wife Ann Grace said the whereabouts of her husband remains unknown, and that she has filed a police case on the issue.

Reacting to the situation, former commissioner Wani said the entity holding Kalisto should not subject him to torture or any other harm.

“I am calling on the security authority to safeguard the safety of Kalisto Ladu, because he is a son of this nation and if at all there is anything, it should be openly investigated,” Wani said.

“Let his life be spared for us because we still love him and want him in this nation. He is one of the resources that South Sudan can benefit from one day.”

Since Kalisto’s disappearance, the US Embassy in Juba, civil society and human rights groups, as well as lawmakers have called for his immediate release or fair trial.

Juba-based Center for Peace and Advocacy demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Kalisto, while the Human Rights Watch also expressed fear of him being subjected to torture, enforced disappearances, or even death.

The US Embassy, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned Kalisto’s disappearance which it said is the reality of lack of freedom of speech for citizens in the country.

It called on the government to uphold the rule of law and provide a public accounting of Mr. Ladu’s detention.

The South Sudan Civil Society Forum or SSCSF strongly condemned the arrest of Kalisto saying it is deeply troubling violation of due process.

A day after his disappearance, a human rights activist urged Kalisto’s kidnappers to hand him over to the police.

Bol Deng Bol, the Executive Director of INTREPID South Sudan said the police is the right body to initiate the litigation processes, adding that the detainee enjoys the right to freedom of expression and fair trial as protected in the constitution.