Programme News
9 April 2015
(News)
The unlawful detention of foreign nationals at the infamous Lindela Repatriation Centre continues despite a court order.
The court order states Home Affairs must take “all steps reasonably necessary or appropriate” to ensure that no person is detained for longer than 30 days without a warrant. The Legal Resources Centre said they are deeply concerned by the “flagrant disregard...
9 April 2015
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) strongly condemns the ongoing intolerance and blatant disregard for the rights of foreign nationals living in South Africa – most recently in Durban.
Most concerning is the use of aggressive measures including rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons by police to disperse the roughly 300 foreign nationals who defied the revocation of their permission to...
9 April 2015
(News)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is challenging 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.
LHR’s head of detention monitoring, Lesirela Letsebe, said in an affidavit before the High Court in Pretoria that hundreds of foreigners were unlawfully held at...
9 April 2015
(News)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) has applied for sections of the Immigration Act to be declared unconstitutional because they deny immigration detainees the right to be brought before court to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.
Judge Billy Mothle yesterday postponed the application indefinitely in the North Gauteng High Court, allowing the department of home affairs to file opposing...
9 April 2015
(News)
Freedom of movement is a critically important refugee right, and nearly all others are contingent upon it. Without freedom of movement, rights to employment, education, legal access, identity papers, travel documents, naturalisation, and many other fundamental entitlements are severely curtailed, if not completely blocked. This right is repeatedly articulated in international law, reiterated in...
2 April 2015
(News)
South Africa is in the grips of increasingly aggressive behaviour from our police and xenophobic attitudes from government officials that have led to the dehumanisation and unfair targeting of our country’s most vulnerable.
In the 2013/14 reporting period alone, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate registered complaints of 234 deaths of suspects while in police custody, 390...
1 April 2015
(News)
Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini's call for all foreign nationals to be kicked out of the country has landed him in hot water with the SA Human Rights Commission.
The commission said yesterday it had received a formal complaint against the Zulu monarch.
Zwelithini reportedly said at the weekend that the fact that certain countries played a role in the country's struggle for liberation "...
27 March 2015
(News)
The Supreme Court of Appeal has severely criticised Home Affairs for ignoring repeated court orders and gave the department until 1 July to reopen the refugee reception office (RRO) in Port Elizabeth.
The court also ordered Home Affairs director general Mkuseli Apleni to report in writing once a month to the Somali Association of South Africa and the Project for Conflict Resolution and...
25 March 2015
(Press release)
In a scathing judgment, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ordered the Department of Home Affairs to reopen the refugee reception office in Port Elizabeth and provide full services by 1 July 2015.
The SCA declared the decision to close the office unlawful and ordered that Home Affairs Director General Mkuseli Apleni deliver monthly reports on steps taken to ensure compliance. The court’s...
19 March 2015
(Press release)
In commemoration of Human Rights Day, Lawyers for Human Rights is hosting a cafe discussion on recent trends of using criminal law to target the poor. Discussions will examine the policies and decisions that exclude marginalised communities and limit their access to public space and services. Increasingly, authorities treat informal traders, beggars and the homeless as a threat to public safety....