Namibian Caprivi suspects appear in extradition case

A group of 13 suspected secessionists from northeast Namibia’s Caprivi Strip which borders Botswana were remanded in custody on Wednesday to appear in court on 7 November when a Botswana magistrate will weigh a Namibian request for their extradition. Legal sources close to the case told IRIN the 13, who fled across the border following a secessionist attack in the Caprivi capital, Katima Mulilo, in August last year, were wanted in Namibia to face charges of high treason, possession of arms and ammunition, and murder. The 13 who fled among asylum seekers, were not granted refugee status by the Botswana government following independent vetting by UNHCR. In what was described as a lengthy and complex case which threatened to sour relations between the two neighbouring countries, Village Court Principal Magistrate Annah Mathiba granted them a temporary respite when she suspended the proceedings against them because the extradition documents were found not to be in order. Maureen Akena, a spokesman for the Botswana Human Rights Centre, Ditswhanelo, told IRIN the centre had decided to take on the defence of the 13 because it feared they would not be granted a free trial in Namibia: “We fear frankly that they face being tortured and we are therefore hoping that if this extradition request is eventually turned down by the court that UNHCR will assist them to find a third country to grant them asylum.”