National Security officials have urged the media to criticize the actions of the security services responsibly.

According to the Union of Journalists, 12 cases of threats, intimidations, detentions, kidnappings, shootings, and torture of journalists have been reported in the country since December 2015.

In some cases, journalists were later dumped at grave yards.

The Director of Legal Department at the National Security, Jalpan Nayawelo, says both the media and the security services need to work together to limit threats to national security.

“We need the media to boost the image of the National Security organs and avoid criticism of its actions, but I don’t mean [to say] don’t criticize us. No. I mean you have to criticize responsibly and constructively,” Mr Nayawelo said today in Juba at a human rights conference on access to justice.

At the same occasion, the chairperson for the Association for Media Development in South Sudan said some cases of arrest of journalists are by the national security.

Alfred Taban said the National Security has been denying that they have connection with the arrests.

“Maybe if they say some journalists were arrested because they were filming or recording in military areas, that’s understandable,” Mr Taban said.

“But if they just deny what is happening as I have been seeing, this is really irresponsible and unacceptable.”

The one-day conference was organized by the Human Rights Commission.