GRAPHIC WARNING: Contains images which some viewers may find disturbing.
In Juba, the ramshackle capital of South Sudan, the world's newest nation, over 100 people await execution in filthy and crowded prisons. Human rights activists say conditions break basic freedoms, with many inmates never having even seen a lawyer, or even knowing their charges.
In June, Human Rights Watch issued a report that found that prisoners in South Sudan were often detained arbitrarily, often not charged with crimes and frequently not provided with lawyers for their defense. The report said some prisoners were detained for up to five years without trial. Continue reading AP article.
Impoverished South Sudan was left in ruins after decades of war with Sudan before separating in 2011 after a landslide independence referendum. But like so much in the country, the legal system was left in tatters, with sometimes conflicting, overlapping systems of justice.
All images captured Oct. 23-26 by AFP - Getty Images photographer Tony Karumba, but made available to NBC News today.