Amnesty International launches campaign to save South Sudanese teenager on death row

Amnesty International is asking President Salva Kiir to commute the death sentence of a 17-year-old boy accused of murder.  

 

Magai Matiop Ngong was sentenced to death in November 2017 for being involved in a shooting incident that led to the death of his cousin.  

 

Amnesty International, a strong advocate against the death penalty, says Magai’s sentence was in contravention of both South Sudanese law and international law.

 

Magai’s case is one of several that Amnesty International is focusing on, in a newly launched campaign seeking to use the public to advocate for people whose rights are under threat.  

 

Dubbed ‘Write for Rights,’ the campaign calls on the public to write letters pressuring world leaders to respect human rights.  

 

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, Seif Magango, calls on the people of South Sudan to write open letters to President Kiir to overturn the conviction of 17-year-old Magai awaiting execution at Juba central prison.  

 

Mr. Magango spoke to Nelson Lwak in this interview.

Photo Credit: Amnesty International