A picture showing inmates at the Juba Central Prison. Photo credit: Curtesy

An Eritrean national, Yuhanna Gabrial Michael, has been released from Juba Central Prison after spending 12 years on death row following his conviction for the killing of his wife in 2014.

Michael had originally been sentenced to death after a court found him guilty of murder. The case stemmed from an incident in which he allegedly killed his wife after discovering her in a love affair with another man.

However, the Court of Appeal later accepted his appeal in 2015, ruling that the accused had acted under provocation. The court subsequently reduced the charge from murder to culpable homicide under Sections 206 to 210 of the Penal Code.

Following the revised ruling and completion of the applicable sentence, prison authorities at Juba Central Prison released Michael on Monday.

Legal experts say culpable homicide differs from murder because the offence may be committed without prior intent to kill, including in circumstances involving provocation or sudden loss of self control.

Michael’s release brings to an end one of the longest known death row cases involving a foreign national in South Sudan.