Court declares detention of asylum seekers unlawful again

Justice Lot Moroka has ordered that the asylum seekers should be released
Justice Lot Moroka has ordered that the asylum seekers should be released

FRANCISTOWN: Botswana’s international image took a further battering after the High Court Thursday ruled that the perpetual detention of three asylum seekers at the Francistown Centre of Illegal Immigrants (FCII) was unlawful.

The three asylum seekers, Marie Iragi (22), Sophia Laheri (30) and Theresa Butayi (30) through their attorney Morgan Moseki petitioned the department of immigration and citizenship arguing that their perpetual detention was unlawful.

They added that as such, they should therefore be released from the FCII with immediate effect and the government should pay the costs of their application. The petitioners have five children whose ages range from one to 15. They come from the volatile North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and came to Botswana in 2015 where they duly presented themselves before authorities and applied to be recognised as refugees.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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