Lusu Innocent allegedly died while in National Security detention facility | File photo.

A family is mourning the mysterious death of its member who was held in detention along the River side by members of the National Security Service.

32-year- old Lusu Innocent, who worked at the All Queens Tours and Travels at Juba International Airport reportedly disappeared in March this year.

The deceased’s family members said they had tried all means to trace his whereabouts, but their efforts were futile.

Weeks after the family reported him missing, they were allegedly informed by the security that Innocent was detained at the river side after being found with a Ugandan nationality ID- a matter regarded as a major case.

However, they were denied several attempts to visit or see him physically.

This week, his father, a major general in the SSPDF went to the detention facility, only to be told his son who was allegedly transferred to Juba Teaching Hospital after falling ill, later died at the detention facility.

The head of the family, who spoke to Eye Radio on condition of anonymity said he received the news in shock.

“Last Monday when I visited them, the story was very very shocked, they told me your boy died in the prison after he was arrested on March 26th and was taken to the prison at the riverside,” he said to Eye Radio.

Innocent was allegedly arrested for allegedly misappropriating the company assets.

The general whose whose name Eye Radio withheld said he was informed that his son died of sickness and was buried after no one showed up.

“So, from there, they say he developed a sickness and was transferred to Juba teaching hospital, in a short time he was declared dead and they took him to the mortuary from the mortuary, they waited until no relatives show up, and they decided to bury him,” he said.

Rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly documented cases of arbitrary arrests and detention of perceived opponents in official and unofficial NSS facilities across the country.

The reports say, in many cases, the authorities hold people for long periods without charge or access to their families or legal representation and subjected them to torture and other ill-treatment, extrajudicial execution, and enforced disappearance.

Meanwhile, the bereaved father appealed to the government and the national security organs to respect the rule of law and protect civilians.

“My message is that let’s have respect the rule of law all over the country. My message also to the national security is that they need to know the law and they need to protect the people, but not kill them. These are the people who can develop our nation and you’re at the same time killing them, so where are we benefiting here? Are we not destroying ourselves,” he said.

Article 19(2) of the Constitution states that any person who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his or her arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him or her.

The constitution also requires detainees to be produced before a court withing 24 hours to be charged or released, and be given an opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of the detention.

International laws also provides that unacknowledged detention is prohibited at all times, and enforced disappearances constitute war crimes that must be investigated and prosecuted.

The government and relevant institution are yet to comment on the matter.