According to Robert Ladu, at least twenty visually impaired persons were assaulted by national security on Monday as they were conducting a mobility training.

Ladu says the incident was carried out by seven members of the national security service driving a Land Cruiser pickup Number 014.

The alleged individuals were severely beaten using the grip of the guns.

Some of the victims who are among the more than fifteen visually impaired spoke to Eye Radio Tuesday evening.

“We were in stick training and national security came to our office and told our chairman to go out because they wanted to close the office, then they officially closed it,” one visually impaired person said.

“The director talks to the national security personnel to do anything they want to do to us, from there they beat with the butt of the gun, right now I am talking to you my right hand is not working. It cannot carry a stick unless I use my left hand.”

“I was one of the persons who was beaten on the head with a pistol by one of the national security personnel. He hit me with a pistol but God grace I managed to take away the pistol from his hands and later handed over the pistol back to them. I am even feeling a headache because my head was hit by a pistol.” another person with a disability said.

“I am one of them. The national security yesterday throw me into their car. Now, I am having problems with my neck and my back. Those of national security yesterday have done something bad.

“We don’t know why the Central Equatoria State, Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare would send security to our place and beat blind and disabled people with a gun.

“This place is not a place for people who are holding guns. We do not harbor rebels and we are not supporting rebels.”

The alleged national security personnel are said to have been given the order by the director-general, Peter Doctor Agai, at the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Central Equatoria State.

Speaking to Eye Radio Tuesday evening, Robert Ladu, the chairman of the union of visually impaired condemned the act.

He called upon the state government to intervene.

“I condemned this barbaric act in a very strong way possible because this act it’s inhuman and it’s against the rights of a person with a disability,” Ladu said.

“As the chairperson of the union, we are appealing to the Central Equatoria Government to look at this case because it is not good to treat a person with a disability like a rebel. We are not armed people, the security personnel can be tortured.

“My appeal goes to the governor to discipline the director-general at the ministry of Gender and Child and Social Welfare and all the authorities in the state to respect people with disabilities because we arenot politicians.”

For his part, the secretary-general of the Visual Impaired of Central Equatoria State, Anthony Pitia, confirmed the beating by security personnel.

“The national security people came to our union yesterday from 10 or 11 O’clock up to the evening. They were sent to shut down or close the union,” Anthony Pitia told Eye Radio on Tuesday.

“When we asked national security people what was the reason for you to come in and close the office, they told us they have been given orders by the director-general at the Ministry of Gender Child and Social Welfare in the state to come and close the union and if we refused to leave we would be beaten. At least 20 people were beaten badly.”

Eye Radio’s efforts to reach the national security office and Central Equatoria State, Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare were not immediately successful.