Dear family, friends, and caring strangers.

My name is Nyarieni and my dad's name is Peter Pal Jola. He is a South Sudanese man who adopted Canada as his home country back in the late 80s. Since immigrating, he worked hard to make a life here for his wife and 7 children. He is a proud Canadian who longs to help his country of origin which has been war stricken for several decades. Since the early 90s he was involved in several peace initiatives that aimed at helping South Sudanese people both in and out of the country navigate issues brought about by war such as famine, access to clean water and education. My entire life my dad has always put helping people at the forefront of his decision making. His greatest objective in this life is to see peace and justice brought to the vulnerable people caught in the conflict that has burdened his birth country of South Sudan for most of his life.

On March 3rd, 2025 conflict once again devastated his home state of Nasir. Bombs were being dropped on villages, families were losing contact with one another while fleeing chaos and children were dying after getting lost in the bush. My father was strongly moved by this as it filled him with an all too familiar sense of urgency to act.

He made the decision to bring supplies to his extended family and friends who were being displaced. Some of these supplies included communication devices like walkie talkies. South Sudan and Ethiopia share a border and with the recent conflict, flying into South Sudan directly was far too dangerous, so my father chose to fly into Ethiopia. This is a country he has visited many, many times prior. Upon arriving at the Addis Ababa airport on March 27th, 2025, my father was questioned and ultimately detained due to his possession of the above mentioned electronics.

It has now been almost 6 months since his initial detention. As a 67 year old diabetic who also has high-blood pressure and requires the use of a cane, we, his family, are deeply concerned. The case has undergone several hearings, bail has been denied several times and the Ethiopian judicial system is treating him as a known criminal who can not be redeemed. He was unaware that his possession of these electronics would cost him his freedom. An important thing to note is that upon questioning at the airport, he was told that the items would not be allowed entry into the country, but he could leave them there and pick them up upon his departure. This was fine with my dad. However, at some point he was questioned by a particular Ethiopian border security agent who specifically questioned his political ideologies and affiliates pertaining to South Sudanese politics. This is where we believe things took a turn and my father was then taken to the police station for further questioning as opposed to just entering the country without the unauthorized electronics.

We strongly believe that he is being detained not only for carrying unauthorized electronics, but because he is an ethnic Nuer from South Sudan- The main ethnic group currently being targeted in this recent conflict. As a Nuer, naturally he is opposed to the current government regime in South Sudan as countless Nuers have lost their lives due to tribalist fuled government raids and massacres aimed at killing the Nuer.

CALL TO ACTION:

We are desperately looking for strong legal counsel that can fight for my father's freedom. As of July, 16th, 2025 he is sitting in Aba Samuel prison in Addis Ababa where he is being refused necessary medical intervention. We are told that after a jail visit from the embassy on July 14, 2025, he has lost a noticeable amount of weight, and is battling a nightly cough even after several rounds of antibiotics. The Canadian Embassy has not been as helpful as we would have hoped, as they have stated that they cannot get involved in legal proceedings. Your monetary gifts will aid us in paying for legal fees as well as continue to maintain his food supply, as prisoners are not given food by the jail, but instead are expected to fund their basic needs like food, water and medication while in jail.

Aside from donating money, you can help by spreading the word, especially if you have family or friends that are familiar with the Ethiopian legal system or have influence in the government. We need to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to allow the immediate release of my father as he is not a threat to any government. We just want him to come home so he can receive the necessary medical treatment.

Anything helps, so thank you to all who have felt it in their hearts to give and support in any way.

With love,

The Peter Pal Jola Family