'Charge them or release them'
2008-08-27 12:48
Johannesburg - Lawyers representing two South Africans arrested in Uganda are waiting for a response on Wednesday to their demand that the pair be charged or released.
Attorney Yousha Tayob said they had sent letters demanding that Mufti Hussain Bhayat, of Lenasia, and Haroon Saley, of Azaadville be released or charged within 24 hours, an ultimatum that would expire at 4pm on Wednesday. They were arrested on suspicion of terrorism.
"If we do not get a response from the Ugandan authorities by 04:00 then the appointed attorneys would go to court on Friday to make a habeas corpus application (requiring them to be brought before a judge) at the Uganda High Court," said Tayob.
South Africa's High Commissioner Henry Chiliza visited them on Monday, he said.
"The commissioner said they were well taken care of and in high spirits. Surprisingly, they are being kept in a house under guard, not in prison."
Bhayat and Saley were arrested last week during a stopover at Kampala's Entebbe International Airport. They were being held at the offices of Uganda's joint security.
- SAPA