More than six months after his arrest (235 days, to be precise), Peter Biar Ajak is finally going to have his day in court. 

Peter and others will have their first court hearing in Juba on Thursday, 21 March at 10:00am (Juba time). He's expected to be charged on a range of offenses such as terrorism, banditry, insurgency, sabotage, violence and disorderly conduct in a public place, possession of firearms and ammunition inside a detention facility and gathering several individuals to commit a crime. These charges have to do with Peter's outspoken civil society activism on the future of South Sudan, and on allegations that he was behind the prisoners riot at the National Security Services headquarters in October 2018. 

The South Sudan Civil Society Forum just published a statement calling for Peter and others to receive a fair hearing in court, in full accordance with their constitutional rights, and to have access to his family and lawyers while he's still in detention. 

The charges against Peter have been levied against other people in the past to silence dissent. This is why it's crucial that Peter and the others he'll appear in court with get a fair hearing with full due process. 

Thanks to all of you - just over 100,000 people - who've signed this petition calling for Peter's release. Please keep up your support by spreading this update within your networks.