UAE arrests South Sudanese political commentator Samuel Peter Oyay

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the United Arab Emirates to explain the detention of South Sudanese freelance commentator Samuel Peter Oyay, who was arrested at his home in Dubai on September 30, and to immediately disclose his whereabouts. 

Oyay’s wife, Vivian Johnson, told the independent South Sudanese daily Radio Tamazuj that six security personnel arrived at their home at 1 a.m. to arrest him and searched the premises for about two hours. She said she and their children were locked in a room, her phone was confiscated, and no explanation was given. Authorities reportedly told her only that Oyay would be held for five days for “investigation.”

“By arresting Samuel Peter Oyay without explanation, UAE authorities are once again showing that commentators and journalists face tremendous risks in a country where press freedom is severely restricted,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ Regional Director. “The UAE must immediately release him or publicly disclose the reasons for his arrest, reveal his whereabouts, and clarify any charges against him.”

Oyay is a well-known South Sudanese contributor to several media outlets, including Radio Tamazuj and the independent outlet Africa Press.

Before he was taken away, he told his wife, “Keep an eye on the children. This is a normal result of the struggle,” Johnson recalled.

Just days before his arrest, on September 21, Oyay wrote an article for Radio Tamazuj’s website criticizing the ongoing trial of South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar. In the same piece, he also extended his critique to President Salva Kiir, describing Kiir’s leadership as “survival through fragmentation,” and arguing the president systematically undermines governance structures to prevent any alternative power from emerging to challenge him.

CPJ emailed embassies of the UAE and South Sudan in Washington, D.C., requesting a comment on the reasons for Oyay’s arrest and asking whether South Sudanese officials had sought his detention. CPJ did not receive an immediate response from either embassy.