Episode 30: Justice on Trial - The Case of Dr. Riek Machar and the Opposition.

Justice on Trial exposes how South Sudan’s courts became weapons against rivals. Riek Machar, the IO—and the nation itself—stand accused.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Voice 64, Mathor Wan delivers a gripping solo narration: Justice on Trial: The Case of Riek Machar and the Opposition.

What happens when justice ceases to be blind and becomes a political weapon? Through the story of Riek Machar and the SPLM-IO, we uncover how South Sudan’s government transformed courtrooms into stages, verdicts into propaganda, and trials into tools of repression.

From the broken promise of a “nationally televised” trial—where only state TV was allowed inside—to the silencing of independent media, the episode reveals how authoritarianism cloaks itself in the language of law. The cost is not only borne by political rivals, but by ordinary citizens who lose faith in courts, truth, and freedom itself.

Show Notes: 

Episode Title: Justice on Trial: The Case of Riek Machar and the Opposition Format: Narration by Mathor.

Description: When governments hunt rivals instead of protecting citizens, justice itself is put on trial. In this powerful solo episode, Mathor Wan examines the relentless targeting of Riek Machar and the IO, the manipulation of South Sudan’s courts, and the silencing of the press. With haunting questions, is that justice? Is that fair? This narration exposes how fragile nations collapse not when armies fall, but when citizens stop believing in justice.

Highlights:

Heater of Power: How South Sudan’s courts became stages, with verdicts scripted by politics.

The Broken Promise: A trial promised to be nationally televised—yet only state-run TV was allowed inside. Independent media barred, voices silenced.

Silenced Voices: Journalists harassed for reporting, allies branded as traitors, and dissent turned into crime.

The Human Cost: How resources spent hunting rivals were stolen from children, refugees, and widows.

A Nation on Trial: Why every sham verdict undermines democracy, and why the fight for justice is about South Sudan’s survival.

Key Questions Raised:

• Is justice still justice when citizens cannot witness it freely?

• Can South Sudan build courts where evidence matters more than ethnicity, and law matters more than loyalty?

• What future can a nation claim if justice itself has been silenced?