In the media
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24 June 2015
Eyewitness News
The High Court in Pretoria said government can continue with Operation Fiela despite concerns about how it’s being carried out.
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24 June 2015
Business Day
Lawyers for Human Rights was dealt a blow on Tuesday when its bid to challenge the lawfulness of aspects of Operation Fiela was ruled as not urgent and struck off the roll by the High Court in Pretoria.
The joint police, army and home affairs operation, which has seen searches and raids across the country, is intended to combat crime. But it has been criticised as being targeted at foreign nationals and used to harass and unlawfully arrest and detain them.
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24 June 2015
Eyewitness News
Government has asked the High Court in Pretoria to strike off the roll an urgent application to deal with the validity of Operation Fiela.
The operation was established by President Jacob Zuma after the spate of xenophobic attacks a few months ago.
Police and South African National Defence Force officials were given a mandate to centre on those dealing in drugs as well as prostitutes and illegal immigrants.
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22 June 2015
The New Age
Lawyers for Human Rights are planning to challenge Operation Fiela in court. Human Rights lawyers say the way the operation is conducted across the country is unlawful and unconstitutional.
L.H.R’s David Cote says the operation is a deliberate mis-application of the South African Police Service Act. Operation Fiela, began two months ago, following the xenophobic violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
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24 June 2015
News24
An attempt to have aspects of the controversial Operation Fiela declared unlawful and unconstitutional heard as an urgent matter was struck off the roll at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.
Judge Jan Hiemstra said that after having carefully read the papers and listening to argument by the applicants, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), and the government, which included the ministers in the Presidency, Home Affairs, Defence and Police and the chief of the SANDF, he had decided that the matter was not urgent.
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23 June 2015
The Citizen
The Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) would seek a court order declaring government’s Operation Fiela unlawful and unconstitutional.
The court challenge is set to be heard in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.
The LHR said Operation Fiela, a national operation by the police, the army and the Department of Home Affairs’ immigration services was carried out without compliance with the law and without search warrants.The operation also targeted foreign nationals during the night.
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23 June 2015
The Citizen
The High Court in Pretoria yesterday ruled that an application by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) to stop authorities from using “unlawful” methods during crime busting Operation Fiela was not urgent.
LHR maintained that the police, Defence Force and Home Affairs were specifically targeting foreign nationals under the guise of crime prevention and were acting illegally by searching people and their homes without search warrants and in violation of their constitutional rights to amongst others dignity and privacy.
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24 June 2015
ANN7
Lawyers for Human Rights has has turned to court to challenge Operation Fiela and the way is being conducted across the country is unlawful and unconstitutional.
LHR’s David Cote said the operation, its being carried out without proper compliance and a deliberate misapplication of the South African Police Service Act.
Following the xenophobic violence that took place particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in April, President Jacob Zuma appointed an Inter-Ministerial Committee to deal with issues of migration.
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26 June 2015
Mail & Guardian
Beliefs that foreigners "steal" our jobs and drain services fuel xenophobia and inform government policy. LHR dissects three myths about SA migrants.
Laywers for Human Rights has seen an alarming number of police operations aimed at closing down migrant-owned businesses. (M&G, Paul Botes)
Stereotypes and myths have largely informed South Africans’ views on issues of migration and foreign nationals. These myths perpetuate xenophobia in South Africa and are used seemingly as a basis for policy decisions around migration.
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23 June 2015
Jacaranda FM
The Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) would seek a court order declaring government’s Operation Fiela unlawful and unconstitutional, the organisation said on Monday.
The court challenge is set to be heard in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.
The LHR said Operation Fiela, a national operation by the police, the army and the Department of Home Affairs’ immigration services was carried out without compliance with the law and without search warrants.The operation also targeted foreign nationals during the night.
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