Refugees released on bail

Six refugees charged with incitement to public violence in Namibia were released on Wednesday on Nam $500 (US $80) bail. The six, all Congolese nationals, were arrested on Tuesday and charged with "incitement to public violence, resisting arrest and obstructing police officers from executing their duties", police spokesman chief inspector Angula Amulungu confirmed. They are members of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR), based in Osire refugee camp about 300 km north of the capital, Windhoek. The arrest followed an attempted protest during World Refugee Day celebrations on Monday, when the refugee group waved placards accusing the authorities of violating their rights by allegedly denying them refugee status. The country's refugee commissioner has cited a lack of manpower as the reason for the delay in processing their asylum requests. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has condemned the arrests and accused the government of "ignoring" the constitution, which guarantees the rights of refugees to express their concerns. "We are dismayed over the arrests, which we feel will contribute to xenophobia in the country. We call on the UN refugee agency to ensure that the rights of all refugees are safeguarded," NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh told IRIN.