IBA lobbies support for Caprivi treason suspects

The International Bar Association (IBA) is liasing with a number of international bodies and non-governmental organisations with a view to securing legal aid for 128 treason suspects in Namibia, the group told IRIN on Tuesday.

Its human rights institute lawyer, Joanna Salsbury, said IBA president Dianna Kempe's two-day visit to Namibia last week had resulted in "fruitful, constructive" discussions with the Council of the Law Society of Namibia and that the IBA was hoping to work with other parties who wanted to ensure the suspects had legal representation when they go on trial on 4 February 2002.

The Namibian reported on Monday 3 December that the council planned to meet late this week to discuss efforts to secure legal representation for the 128 Caprivi accused.

Kempe's visit was prompted by concerns about the fact that the cash-strapped suspects were set to go on trial in the High Court at Grootfontein next year without legal representation. The Namibian government announced in October that it did not have money for the suspects' representation and appealed for financial support.

According to The Namibian, planned meetings between Kempe and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Lidwina Shapwa, and with Chief Justice Johan Strydom and Acting Judge President Simpson Mtambanengwe, did not take place. The meetings were cancelled because of a pending High Court application to secure government legal aid for the suspects, and to have the prosecution against them stopped for as long as they remain unrepresented, the report said.

The application is now set to be heard on 12 December, having initially been scheduled for Thursday this week.

The report quoted Law Society President Raymond Heathcote as saying that the council's executive, after a recent meeting, decided that one of the possible options was to establish a defence fund for the suspects.

An account could be opened, to be administered by a chartered accountant, and the Law Society could then approach persons and organisations locally and internationally, preferably with the cooperation of the justice ministry, to attempt to get funding for the defence of the suspects, Heathcote was quoted as saying.