A University of Cambridge PhD student is facing the death penalty in South Sudan after being detained for more than six months without charge. Peter Biar Ajak, 35, was arrested at Juba Airport in July as he was about to board a flight. His lawyer, Jared Genser, says South Sudan is considering terrorism and treason charges, which could carry the death penalty.
Mr Ajak, a father of two, is a prominent activist and critic of the South Sudanese government. Hours before his arrest, he tweeted that the country's 'so-called leaders' would not bring peace. His lawyer described his detention as arbitrary and a violation of international law, adding that the government targeted him for being an effective critic.
Mr Ajak fled Sudan as a child refugee during the Second Sudanese Civil War and was granted asylum in the US at age 16. He earned a BA in Economics from La Salle University and a Master's from Harvard before starting his PhD at Cambridge. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, who taught him at La Salle, raised his case in the US House of Representatives.
South Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war since December 2013, with an estimated 400,000 deaths. The government could not be reached for comment. Mr Ajak remains in what his lawyer describes as a 'hellhole jail', with his life at risk.
