Mr. Dong speaks in a public debate in a Juba hotel on 22 June 2013.

A leading South Sudanese lawyer has left the country after he said he received death threat messages.

Mr. Dong Samuel, who is one of the 17 lawyers representing former SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum in his case against President Salva Kiir, left the country after he said that senior security officers warned him against being part of Mr. Amum’s defense team.

Mr. Samuel, who is also a member of the Law Society, spoke to Eye Radio by phone from an undisclosed location.

“It was done in two different styles: One, is that they sent individuals directly to me – to talk to me.

“Because of security reasons, I don’t want to mention their names.

“The other thing is, messages were sent. Some of them were asking my colleagues to stay away from what Dong is doing if at all he wants to be with his children – that they know how to deal with me.

“Then the day after I left the country, they sent a message to the same guy. ‘I think you are aware why Dong ran away from this country. The best thing is that you keep away from Dong is doing because we know how to deal with him.’”

Recently, Pagan Amum filed a petition in the Supreme Court over President Kiir’s decision, accusing him of violating the party’s charter and transitional constitution on his rights and freedoms of movement, speech and expression.

Last month, Mr. President issued a party order suspending Amum, whom he accused of insubordination and incitement, after Amum condemned a presidential decree, suspending two national ministers, Kosti Manibe and Deng Alor Kuol.

President Kiir also issued another party order, banning Amum from travelling outside Juba and not to speak to any media.

And this is how Mr. Dong Samuel and many other lawyers got involved in the high-profile case.

They petitioned the country’s Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the president’s order restricting Amum’s freedom of movement and expression.

Mr. Dong urges the government to look into his case.