Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General | File photo PHOTO//Getty images

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has called on governments to release prisoners of conscience.

According to the US human rights commission, prisoners of conscience are persons imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their political, religious, or other conscientiously held beliefs, or for their identity, even though they have neither used nor advocated violence.

Prisoners of conscience exist even though international standards protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals worldwide.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reaffirms equal rights for men and women and states that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms it sets forth, without distinction of any kind.

Artists, bloggers, community activists, dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, labor leaders, teachers, religious leaders, and members of religious communities are among the prisoners of conscience found around the world today.

A journalist working for the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, or SSBC was reportedly arrested early this month.

Alfred Angasi Dominic worked as a news anchor for SSBC and the reason for the journalist’s continuous detention is not known.

Last week, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan said Alfred Angasi is being detained by National Security for reportedly refusing to anchor news.

UJOSS said journalist Angasi was briefly released on July 4 but re-arrested on July 5. To date, Angasi is still under detention.

António Guterres, the US Secretary-General called on governments to release prisoners of conscience.

“Despite many years as a prisoner of conscience, Madiba retained his dignity and commitment to his ideals. Let his example propel any government that keeps such prisoners to release them. There should be no prisoners of conscience in the 21st century,” he said.

The UN chief was speaking at the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s International day yesterday Sunday.