South Sudan
Decriminalize defamation and take steps to reduce the cost of internet access and ensure its affordability.
South Sudan is a country in Central Africa and has a population of 11.6 million people. The country, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has witnessed several political challenges that further delayed overdue national elections. Article 32, 24, 22 of its 2011 Transitional Constitution provide for the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, access to information respectively. Despite these provisions, digital rights continue to be at risk in South Sudan due to attacks on media practitioners, judicial harassment of journalists and human rights defenders and arbitrary use of communications surveillance. Defamation is a crime that can lead to jail under section 289 of the Penal Code and Article 32 National Security Services Act (NSS Act) provides the NSS with unfettered powers to monitor communications and gather information relating to any person without adequate privacy safeguards. Additionally, internet access remains prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of the population.
3.6%
Households with internet access in 2017
6%
Individuals using internet in 2020
0
Fixed Broadband Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2020
128/180
Press Freedom Ranking in 2022
Upr cycle
South Sudan was last reviewed in January 2022.
Digital Rights and Free Expression Recommendations
Resources
Partner organisations
Over a hundred local and international human rights organisations are part of the wider Uproar programme. You can find them listed here.
South Sudan cluster
The country clusters are a local working group in each Uproar target country made up of our partner organisations. The clusters are organised by local lead organisations, who then coordinate local civil society and human rights defenders with digital rights expertise to engage in national-level advocacy and campaigning.
