In the media
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26 November 2015
Rekord News
Lawyers for Human Rights are investigating prison officials at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre for alleged abuse of inmates. These range from assault, torture and inadequate access of healthcare treatment for inmates.
An investigation into the alleged abuse of offenders by officials is underway in the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria.
It was instigated by Lawyers for Human Rights.
Its reform programme head, Clare Ballard, said 16 offenders had lodged complaints with the prison management and later approached Lawyers for Human Rights.
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23 November 2015
enca
The Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre is being investigated for human rights abuses.
It has been alleged that correctional officers severely assaulted and tortured at least 16 inmates.
The assaults apparently occured during routine search and seizure operations.
Lawyers for Human Rights have called for an investigation on the matter.
Penal Reform Programme Head, Clare Ballard, says a commission on inquiry should suspend suspected officials pending investigations.
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11 November 2015
Pretoria News
The high court in Pretoria reserved judgment in a legal challenge in which Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is questioning the constitutionality of sections of the Immigration Act which do not make provision for detainees to be brought before court in person to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.
The Immigration Act allows Home Affairs to arrest and detain a person it deems to be an illegal foreigner. The department has 48 hours in which to determine whether the person is illegally in the country or not.
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19 November 2015
The Citizen
LHR details incidents of alleged abuse and torture against 16 inmates by correctional officials.
Allegations of severe torture against 16 inmates who allegedly witnessed the murder of another inmate by wardens at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria, have surfaced.
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) have now requested the Pretoria Central Police station to investigate the allegations.
In a letter sent to the station commander, LHR details incidents of alleged abuse and torture against 16 inmates by correctional officials.
Clare Ballard, head of LHR’s Penal Reform Programme, sa
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19 November 2015
Times Live
Lawyers for Human Rights has called for an immediate investigation into allegations of severe assault and torture at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
In a letter sent to the station commander of the Pretoria Central Police Station on Tuesday‚ LHR detailed incidents of alleged abuse against 16 inmates by correctional officials.
Some of these inmates were witnesses to the alleged murder of another inmate by correctional officials‚ the human rights watchdog stated.
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18 November 2015
Times Live
Allegations of murder, beatings, electrocutions and torture made against members of the prisons department's Emergency Support Team have earned the team the nickname "Boko Haram" among prisoners across the country.
Boko Haram is the murderous Islamic terrorist group that has destabilised much of Nigeria.
Members of the team have been implicated in the death of a Pretoria prisoner, and in assaulting and torturing 15 others.
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12 November 2015
enca
Human rights activist group, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), has issued a press statement welcoming the sentencing of eight policemen involved in his death.
LHR said it was "pleased and encouraged by the conviction and sentencing of the eight former Daveyton police officers who dragged Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia behind a police van before assaulting him while in custody where he died."
The policemen were all sentenced to 15 years in imprisonment on Wednesday after being found guilty of murder for their role in Macia’s death in 2013.
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11 November 2015
SABC News
The Department of Home Affairs has until February next year to reopen the refugee reception office in Port Elizabeth. This after they lost a bid to have the Constitutional Court reconsider its decision not to hear their appeal. In March this year the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the department to reopen the RRO and provide full services to assylum seekers and refugees in the province. The RRO's closure meant that pregnant immigrants, who could not make the arduous journey to Pretoria or Durban, were denied access to health care. Lawyers for Human Rights, David Cote...
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11 November 2015
The Citizen
Home affairs maintained there were sufficient protections under the Immigration Act.
Judgment has been reserved in Lawyers for Human Rights’ constitutional challenge against the manner in which suspected undocumented foreigners are detained under Section 34 of the Immigration Act.
LHR filed the challenge in the High Court in Pretoria in June after the introduction of new immigration regulations. The application is aimed at ensuring court oversight of immigration detention.
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6 November 2015
Pretoria News
Warders at Kgosi Mampuru Prison, who have been labelled Boko Haram, are likely to face criminal investigation by the SAPS in connection with allegations of physical abuses and torture of inmates.
The implicated warders were accused of terrorising the inmates inside their cells during the night by severely beating them with tonfas (batons).
Clare Ballards, an attorney working for Lawyers for Human Rights, is in the process of writing a report detailing the gruesome death of an inmate and alleged abuses of some inmates by some warders.
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