Refugees detained for attempting protest

The commemoration of World Refugee Day in Namibia on Monday was marred by the detention of three asylum seekers who were allegedly attempting to "disrupt" the event. Police public relations officer Hophni Hamufungu told IRIN that the refugees "had gone against orders" and would be held in custody until the day's proceedings were over. "It was made clear to the refugees that they would not be allowed to stage a demonstration on World Refugee Day," said Hamufungu. "They chose to ignore this and we had no option but to detain those who we felt were intent on provoking the authorities." The Association of Refugee Rights (ADR), which claims to represent 13,000 asylum seekers at the Osire refugee camp about 300 km north of the capital, Windhoek, planned to demonstrate during the celebrations against alleged ill treatment by the local authorities. "We applied to the regional police headquarters for permission to go ahead with the demonstration, but did not receive any confirmation until this morning (Monday). We thought that World Refugee Day would be an ideal opportunity to voice our frustrations, but the authorities do not want the international community to know just how badly we are being mistreated," ADR chairman MacGoddins Lushimba complained. He said several refugees had been injured in scuffles with the police, but the police have denied the claim. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it would contact the police to determine if the refugees would be formally charged. "As soon as we learnt that the police had turned down their request, we advised the refugees not to go ahead with the protest. But contrary to our advice, a handful of refugees decided to stage the protest anyway. While the UNHCR will continue to follow up on the concerns of the refugees, we have to act within the confines of the country's laws," UNHCR Country Representative Hesdy Radhling said. Last year the refugee group also staged a protest during the celebrations over what it said were gross human rights violations committed by the Namibian authorities against the refugee population. "The Namibian government does not adhere to its own laws, which explicitly protect refugees. We are not provided with the most basic things, such as paraffin for cooking. We find that it is nearly impossible to leave the camp, and our children's prospects are very limited even if they are educated," Lushimba told IRIN. Earlier this month four asylum seekers at Osire were detained by police for inciting other refugees into boycotting paraffin, the only source of energy they receive. The refugees were demanding four litres of paraffin per person, in addition to the paraffin they had allegedly not received for the past two months.