Refugees to appear in court

SIX refugees will appear in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court today after attempting to disrupt the World Refugee Day commemorations by picketing, Police said yesterday.

Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said the six face charges of “public violence, incitement to public violence, resisting or wilfully hindering or disrupting any member of the force in the execution of his or her duties”. A dozen refugees were arrested at the Osire refugee camp on Monday when they tried to demonstrate against what they claimed as a violation of refugee rights by Namibian authorities and indifference from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Half of those arrested were released, though it is not clear whether they will be charged or not.Amulungu said he did not think the Police were looking for more people to arrest.Police said the refugees had wanted to demonstrate but were refused permission to do so because of the World Refugee Day events.They nevertheless went ahead by hoisting placards and whistling when the Government’s commissioner of refugees, Elizabeth Negumbo, took to the podium to speak.Police quickly nabbed three pickets and went on the offensive to stop others from demonstrating.Others fled their homes yesterday as Police patrolled Osire on Monday night and yesterday morning according to members of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR).”The situation is now quiet,” said Patient Banza, who said he was the treasurer of the ADR.Most of those in detention are committee members of the ADR, who, Negumbo was quoted as saying, were troublemakers trying to mislead asylum seekers.The head of the Police public relations unit, Deputy Commissioner Hophni Hamufungu, told the UN news agency IRIN: “It was made clear to the refugees that they would not be allowed to stage a demonstration on World Refugee Day.They chose to ignore this and we had no option but to detain those who we felt were intent on provoking the authorities.”ADR chairman MacGoddins Lushimba alleged that the authorities were bent on hiding their mistreatment of refugees from the international community.Osire, which lies in the centre of a number of commercial farms about 200km north-east of Windhoek, houses 13 000 refugees, most of them Angolans who are not members of the ADR.It was the second year in a row that the commemoration of World Refugee Day was marred by demonstrations that have become commonplace at Osire.The UNHCR yesterday declined to comment, saying they were waiting for a report from the camp administrator, a Government representative.The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has criticised the UNHCR representative in Namibia, Hesdy Rathling, for reportedly saying it had advised the refugees not to demonstrate because they “have to act within the confines of the country’s laws”.”What laws is the UNHCR-Namibia referring to? Our information is that Police arrested refugees merely for attempting to stage a peaceful demonstration to democratically express their views,” said the NSHR in a statement.Namibian law requires demonstrators to inform the Police of their intention to protest, but the authorities have no right to refuse the permission except were public order is disturbed.Banza said those set to appear in court are: Lushimba, Souleymane Kabwe, Alex Kasians, Shungu Abubakar, Elia Luboya and Alex Mandiangu.A dozen refugees were arrested at the Osire refugee camp on Monday when they tried to demonstrate against what they claimed as a violation of refugee rights by Namibian authorities and indifference from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Half of those arrested were released, though it is not clear whether they will be charged or not.Amulungu said he did not think the Police were looking for more people to arrest.Police said the refugees had wanted to demonstrate but were refused permission to do so because of the World Refugee Day events.They nevertheless went ahead by hoisting placards and whistling when the Government’s commissioner of refugees, Elizabeth Negumbo, took to the podium to speak.Police quickly nabbed three pickets and went on the offensive to stop others from demonstrating.Others fled their homes yesterday as Police patrolled Osire on Monday night and yesterday morning according to members of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR).”The situation is now quiet,” said Patient Banza, who said he was the treasurer of the ADR.Most of those in detention are committee members of the ADR, who, Negumbo was quoted as saying, were troublemakers trying to mislead asylum seekers.The head of the Police public relations unit, Deputy Commissioner Hophni Hamufungu, told the UN news agency IRIN: “It was made clear to the refugees that they would not be allowed to stage a demonstration on World Refugee Day.They chose to ignore this and we had no option but to detain those who we felt were intent on provoking the authorities.”ADR chairman MacGoddins Lushimba alleged that the authorities were bent on hiding their mistreatment of refugees from the international community.Osire, which lies in the centre of a number of commercial farms about 200km north-east of Windhoek, houses 13 000 refugees, most of them Angolans who are not members of the ADR.It was the second year in a row that the commemoration of World Refugee Day was marred by demonstrations that have become commonplace at Osire.The UNHCR yesterday declined to comment, saying they were waiting for a report from the camp administrator, a Government representative.The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has criticised the UNHCR representative in Namibia, Hesdy Rathling, for reportedly saying it had advised the refugees not to demonstrate because they “have to act within the confines of the country’s laws”.”What laws is the UNHCR-Namibia referring to? Our information is that Police arrested refugees merely for attempting to stage a peaceful demonstration to democratically express their views,” said the NSHR in a statement.Namibian law requires demonstrators to inform the Police of their intention to protest, but the authorities have no right to refuse the permission except were public order is disturbed.Banza said those set to appear in court are: Lushimba, Souleymane Kabwe, Alex Kasians, Shungu Abubakar, Elia Luboya and Alex Mandiangu.