Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity. The worrying UN reports indicated that fighting between ethnic groups surged dramatically and more organized forces started participating in the violence. The violence resulted in abductions of civilians, killings of hundreds of civilians, sexual violence and the displacement of thousands. Civil liberties and freedoms Political freedom After South Sudan gained its independence in 2011, Salva Kiir Mayardit was elected president and revised the South Sudanese constitution to give great power to the executive. Kiir used his broad powers, which include the inability to be impeached and the authority to fire governors and dissolve parliament, to dismiss his entire cabinet and vice president Riek Machar in 2013. Beginning in 2014, Kiir and the ruling elites have ruled the country in an increasingly opaque manner. The public had little say in policymaking and was ignored in discussions of the creation of a new constitution and peace talks to end the civil war. Abdel Rahman Sule, the leader of the key opposition group United Democratic Forum, has been under arrest since November 3, 2011 over allegations linking him to the formation of a new rebel group fighting against the government. The SPLA is generally intolerant of opposition, and although there are officially five opposition parties in South Sudan, none of them have the resources or experience necessary to gain true political power. Press freedom In 2015, Salva Kiir threatened to kill journalists who reported "against the country". Days later, in August 2015, journalist Peter Moi was killed in a targeted attack, being the seventh journalist killed during the year. South Sudanese journalists then held a 24-hour news blackout. As a result of the deterioration in the operating environment for journalists, many practice self-censorship or have left the country altogether. Civil society South Sudanese civil society groups called on Kenya to investigate the disappearance of South Sudanese activists in Nairobi. Many point to the presence of South Sudanese security in Kenya and the alleged complicity of some Kenyan authorities. Justice system The justice system of Sudan has insufficiently upheld equal rights for the South Sudanese people. According to Amnesty International, the government has failed to guarantee due process and fair trials, and it has also arbitrarily arrested and detained people without ensuring their right to legal counsel. The defection of many police officers, as well as other internal conflicts, has decreased the police and judiciary's ability to enforce