Lawyer fights on in Rashid case

Omar is appealing against the decision, by a full Bench of the Pretoria High Court, to turn down an application to declare the arrest, detention and deportation of Rashid invalid and an enforced disappearance. The Witness notes Rashid went missing nearly two years ago after being arrested in Estcourt. Omar believes Rashid is not in Pakistan, as the government claims, but is being held in a torture camp on allegations of being involved in terrorism. Earlier this month, Omar claimed he had new information suggesting the government was hiding information about Rashid’s whereabouts. Two weeks ago, he filed an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court, requesting a full Bench of the court, headed by Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, to accept an affidavit containing the ‘new facts’ before making a final decision in an application about the legality of Rashid’s arrest and deportation. The Transvaal Judge President, along with Judge Cynthia Pretorius and acting judge JLM Snijmann, dismissed the application to bring new information before the court, as well as the application to postpone the case pending an application for the recusal of the full Bench. Full report in The Witness