All Press Releases
13 April 2012
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, let me express our appreciation that you have once again taken the time to join us for our weekly media briefing.
Today, we would like to brief you on our operations at Refugee Reception Offices with particular reference to the Marabastad Office and its satellite office at the Pretoria Showgrounds as well as a review of our Easter operations.
Operations at...
11 April 2012
The North Gauteng High Court today delivered judgment in the case of Lawyers for Human Rights v Rules Board for Courts of Law and Another, case no 78163/2009.
This was an application challenging the constitutionality of new rules for judicial review passed by the Rules Board and approved by the Minister of Justice. All parties agreed that the rules would not be implemented until the...
5 April 2012
LHR welcomes the extension of social grants to recognised refugees in South Africa. The Minister of the Department of Social Development (DSD) has finally promulgated amendments to the regulations of the Social Assistance Act 13 of 2004 which will take effect from the 1 April 2012. This came as a result of sustained advocacy from various rights groups, which culminated in LHR pursuing public...
26 March 2012
OPINION: African countries should stop introducing anti-gay legislations, in order to create an environment in which contributes to the protection of people’s constitutional rights.
“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess...
20 March 2012
Children do not belong in detention!
Global report and campaign to end immigration detention of children to be launched at UN Human Rights Council
this press release is embargoed until 21 March 2012
Johannesburg 19th March 2012: Every day, around the world, thousands of children, many of them unaccompanied minors, are deprived of their freedom and are locked up simply because they do not...
22 February 2012
The South African Government is appealing a High Court judgment that two Botswana nationals could not be deported or extradited to stand trial in Botswana - where they face the death penalty if convicted - without the requisite assurance that the death penalty will not be imposed or carried out under any circumstances.
Lawyers for Human Rights brought this case for Emmanuel Tsebe and Jerry...
16 February 2012
The High Court in Port Elizabeth today handed down a judgment in which it declared the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to close the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office to be unlawful and ordered that it be re-opened and maintained for all refugees and asylum seekers, including new applicants for asylum.
On 20 October 2011, Home Affairs publicly announced that the PE Refugee...
16 February 2012
On the 14th of February 2012, Lawyers for Human Rights and the Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of 18 organisations linked to the Mining, Environment and Community Alliance, wrote to Mrs Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs where the Minister was urged to address the operation of mines without requisite water use licences acting with impunity exacerbating...
9 February 2012
The High Court in Port Elizabeth today heard legal arguments regarding the lawfulness of the closure of the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office (“PE RRO”). The office was closed to new asylum seekers on 21 October 2011 after only one day’s notice to local service providers and the refugee community.
The PE RRO has been open since the coming into operation of the...
9 February 2012
LHR welcomes the decision by the Constitutional court to dismiss an application for leave to appeal brought by the Department of Home Affairs. In a 2011 Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision which dealt with the protection of newly arrived asylum seekers, the SCA held that asylum seekers cannot be prevented from applying for asylum after being arrested. Once a person has declared their...