Court postpones case of ‘troublesome’ refugees again

SIX asylum seekers accused of inciting public violence during the commemoration of World Refugee Day at Osire in June made a brief appearance in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

At the request of their legal counsel, the case was postponed to December 6 for plea and trial. Their bail conditions were extended until then.MacGoddins Lushimba, Souleymane Kabwe, Alex Kasians, Shungu Abubakar, Eliya Luboya and Alex Mandiangu, all from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are members of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR).They claim to have been unfairly treated by the Namibian Government.They are charged with public violence, incitement of public violence and hindering the Police in the execution of their duties for disrupting proceedings on June 21.The refugees were protesting their alleged unfair treatment by the Home Affairs Ministry and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Members of the group are particularly disgruntled about their long wait to be granted refugee status in Namibia.They charge it has infringed on their human rights to study and travel within the country.It is the second time ADR members have been arrested for marring Refugee Day commemorations at the camp.Last year, the State dropped its case against them.On both occasions members of the group burst through the crowd during the address of Government’s Commissioner for Refugees Elizabeth Negumbo, whistling and waving placards.This year the Police rejected the ADR’s application to demonstrate on the day.The ADR has said that it was never its intention to cause violence but and that they only wanted to use the platform to make their views known to the media and the international community.Their bail conditions were extended until then.MacGoddins Lushimba, Souleymane Kabwe, Alex Kasians, Shungu Abubakar, Eliya Luboya and Alex Mandiangu, all from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are members of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR).They claim to have been unfairly treated by the Namibian Government.They are charged with public violence, incitement of public violence and hindering the Police in the execution of their duties for disrupting proceedings on June 21.The refugees were protesting their alleged unfair treatment by the Home Affairs Ministry and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Members of the group are particularly disgruntled about their long wait to be granted refugee status in Namibia.They charge it has infringed on their human rights to study and travel within the country.It is the second time ADR members have been arrested for marring Refugee Day commemorations at the camp.Last year, the State dropped its case against them.On both occasions members of the group burst through the crowd during the address of Government’s Commissioner for Refugees Elizabeth Negumbo, whistling and waving placards.This year the Police rejected the ADR’s application to demonstrate on the day.The ADR has said that it was never its intention to cause violence but and that they only wanted to use the platform to make their views known to the media and the international community.