Delivering his sixth testimony before the Special Court during the 80th session of proceedings at Freedom Hall in Juba on Friday, Kang Chol claimed that he and other detainees were being dehumanized while in custody, including being referred to as “dogs” inside the vehicle used to transport them to court.
“We have undergone enough humiliation that the system could think of, including us being referred to as dogs,” Kang Chol told the court.
“The car that you see standing outside here, which is used to bring us to this honourable court, has someone written inside – ‘seven dogs jebu’. We raised this to the former Director General of National Security Services when he came to visit, so he formed a committee, and it was confirmed,” he added.
Kang Chol, who is the first accused in the trial involving Machar and several other SPLM/A-IO detainees, used his testimony to reiterate rejection of allegations linking him to the purchase or distribution of arms and ammunition allegedly connected to the Nasir conflict.
“I unequivocally state that I did not, in any manner whatsoever, facilitate, participate in, finance, or otherwise take part in any alleged purchase or distribution of arms and ammunition,” he said.
The petroleum minister also challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s digital forensic evidence, accusing investigators and security authorities of manipulating materials extracted from confiscated phones.
He alleged that his mobile devices and passwords were obtained “by force” and through intimidation, before being used to “generate their own messages.”
“My phone is not a tool for committing a crime but rather a tool for preaching peace and stability in this country,” Kang Chol told the court.
He argued that the prosecution had failed to establish a credible evidentiary link between the alleged audio recordings, messages, images and videos presented in court and his personal devices.
“No credible evidentiary foundation has been laid to link those materials to my device, to my knowledge or to any act attributable to me,” he said, describing the evidence as “fabrications from the National Security Services.”
Kang Chol further pointed to what he described as contradictions in the testimony of the prosecution’s expert witness regarding the submission dates of forensic reports, suggesting that the reports may have been altered or prepared outside proper forensic procedures.
He questioned why individual forensic reports submitted before the court allegedly lacked signatures and official stamps despite the gravity of charges that could attract life imprisonment or the death penalty.
“Is it alright to have a report that is neither signed nor stamped in a case that seeks the life of the accused person?” he asked the court.
The detained minister also denied allegations that the accused officials coordinated attacks on SSPDF garrisons in Nasir or elsewhere, saying prosecutors had failed to provide evidence of meetings, communications or plans proving such coordination.
