Tanzania/South Africa: Tanzania Deports South African Human Rights Lawyer and 2 Others

October 27, 2017

South African human rights lawyer Sibongile Ndashe and two others who were arrested and detained in Tanzania 10 days ago have been deported on Friday evening.

They were arrested for ‘promoting homosexuality’ at a hotel in Dar es Salaam. Same-sex relations are illegal in the east African country.

Ndashe was released on bail on Thursday and told to report to the police station on Friday.

Senior lawyer at the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), Matilda Lasseko, told News24 that their deportation is proof that there were no real charges against them, and that the unlawful week-long detention without reason was just a form of harassment.

Lasseko said of those arrested, two were South Africans – one was based in Uganda, while the others are from Tanzania. Lasseko confirmed that the others were released on Friday as well.

ISLA will host a press conference at their offices on Saturday on the wrongful arrests and arbitrary detention.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/201710280022.html

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/we-were-held-hostage-at-a-tanzanian-police-station-sa-human-rights-lawyer-20171028

https://www.enca.com/south-africa/lawyer-arrested-in-tanzania-for-homosexuality-greateful-for-the-support

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/tanzania-deports-sa-human-rights-lawyer-and-2-others-20171027

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/oct/26/tanzania-illegally-detains-human-rights-lawyers-for-promoting-homosexuality

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/bail-granted-to-sa-lawyer-arrested-in-tanzania-for-promoting-homosexuality-20171026

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sa-lawyer-arrested-for-promoting-homosexuality-in-tanzania-treated-well-20171024

https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/watch-demonstration-at-tanzania-high-commission-11685763

https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/sa-human-rights-lawyer-still-being-held-illegally-in-tanzania-11691976

https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/sa-human-rights-lawyer-still-being-held-illegally-in-tanzania-11691976

https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/opinion/assault-on-justice-in-tanzania-11676159

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/2017/10/sahrdn-petitions-tanzania-zuma-situation-human-rights-defenders-sadc-region/

https://www.icj.org/tanzania-icj-condemns-the-arbitrary-detention-of-lawyers-and-human-rights-defenders/

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South Africa: Juju’s lawyer behind bars after bail application postponed

June 26, 2017

Julius Malema’s lawyer, Tumi Mokwena, spent the weekend behind bars after his bail application was postponed.

Mokwena made his first appearance in the Thabamoopo Magistrate’s Court, in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, on Friday charged with four counts of attempted murder.

Police arrested Mokwena at his Polokwane office on Thursday night after he allegedly shot and wounded four people on the Zebediela Citrus Estate.

His bail application is expected to start tomorrow.

According to police reports, one firearm was confiscated during the arrest. During last week’s court proceedings, Mokwena asked that his leg-irons be removed.

“I shouldn’t be in leg chains when I appear before this court. It is very inhumane,” he said.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2017-06-26-jujus-lawyer-behind-bars-after-bail-application-postponed/

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2017/06/23/cops-corner-prominent-limpopo-lawyer

http://reviewonline.co.za/214767/tumi-mokwena-appear-court-four-counts-murder/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Malema

South Africa: Slain lawyer was ‘warned’

February 2, 2017

The dark underworld of the legal profession is being blamed for the death last week of a Durban lawyer, four months after he was seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting outside his home.

Devastated relatives of Rabin Maharaj, 61, believe he was targeted by someone linked to one of his cases.

The veteran lawyer, who had been practising for 33 years, usually busied himself with mundane conveyancing work. But three months before he was shot, he was briefed on an unusual matter involving an attorney-cum-loan shark, who was alleged to have been fleecing pensioners of their homes.

The man was suspected of lending up to R125 000 to pensioners, who had to use their homes as security, said a relative of Maharaj’s, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Before the loan was paid out, the pensioners had to sign a purchase and sale agreement, as well as all transfer documents. The victims claimed they were not aware they were signing over their properties.”

The relative claimed the interest rate was set at a staggering 10% a month, which was illegal.

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http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/slain-lawyer-was-warned-7586571

South Africa: TOP LAWYER ATTACKED IN SA

December 26, 2016

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http://www.newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk/2016/12/top-lawyer-attacked-in-sa.html

South Africa: Advocate tells of attack by angry mob

January 27, 2016

Durban – An advocate who was attacked and beaten outside a rural Mpumalanga court last week, for representing two men accused of kidnapping and murdering a toddler, said on Tuesday the incident would not deter him from doing his job.

“People say: Why don’t you just withdraw from the case?” Nico du Plessis said. “But I say: No, I won’t. Everyone is entitled to legal representation of their choice. I can’t just abandon them (his clients).”

The matter was last in court on Friday and was postponed until Wednesday.

But after the attack and several requests to the Director of Public Prosecutions, it had been decided the case should be transferred from Tonga to the Nelspruit Regional Court, Du Plessis said.

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http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/advocate-tells-of-attack-by-angry-mob-1976512

http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2016/01/28/law-matters-lawyers-job-is-to-serve-justice-no-matter-the-issue

South Africa: Lawyers denied access to foreign nationals

JOHANNESBURG – Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) say they are being denied access to more than 200 foreign nationals arrested during a raid on the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg this weekend.

235 people were arrested for being in the country illegally during a raid in the city center on Friday morning and lawyers for human rights says Home Affairs has denied its request to visit them as it is still processing their identities.

The organisation says it wants to probe the manner in which the foreign nationals were arrested as well as the reasons why they came to South Africa.

http://m.ewn.co.za/2015/05/10/Lawyers-denied-access-to-foreign-nationals