\'New facts’ open doors in Rashid case

Nqakula’s admission to the UN Committee against Torture in November has also been referred to the International Criminal Court as a ‘new fact’ after it refused an application by lawyer Zehir Omar, who has led the search for Rashid for more than a year, to assist in finding Rashid. Omar wants the ICC to review its decision, which it based on the fact that the case did not fall within the jurisdiction of the court, which is guided by the Rome Statute. A report in the Sunday Tribune says Rashid was allegedly abducted from an Estcourt home by heavily armed men and flown out of Pretoria’s Waterkloof Air Force Base in a private aircraft five days later, apparently in the company of Pakistani security agents. Omar took the issue to the High Court which he asked to declare Rahid’s arrest and ‘deportation’ unlawful. The matter is still to be decided. The Sunday Tribune report not available online