The mailing says the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban, appeared in court on October 19, 1984 to answer a charge under the Police Act of 1958 that makes it illegal to disclose activities of police without government approval. If convicted, Archbishop Hurley could face up to eight years in prison and/or a fine of up to $12,000. The charge stems from a February 1983 news conference in Pretoria, when Archbishop Hurley released a report on South African atrocities against civilians in Namibia, which South Africa illegally occupies, Hurley referred to the December 1982 deaths in detention of Jona Hamucwaya and Kadima Katanga and the...
The mailing says the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban, appeared in court on October 19, 1984 to answer a charge under the Police Act of 1958 that makes it illegal to disclose activities of police without government approval. If convicted, Archbishop Hurley could face up to eight years in prison and/or a fine of up to $12,000. The charge stems from a February 1983 news conference in Pretoria, when Archbishop Hurley released a report on South African atrocities against civilians in Namibia, which South Africa illegally occupies, Hurley referred to the December 1982 deaths in detention of Jona Hamucwaya and Kadima Katanga and the killing of several civilians in Northern Namibia. Hurley criticized the South African police counter-insurgency unit Koevoet, which has been charged with frequent torture, rape and murder of non-combatants. The charge against Hurley awakens speculation that the South African government is beginning a campaign against the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, the General Secretary of the Bishops' Conference, Fr. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, was acquitted of charges of inciting students to violence in the "homeland" of Ciskei. Mkhatshwa is a co-patron of the United Democratic Front (UDF), a leader of the recent boycott of elections in South Africa. Namibian Catholic leaders have supported the liberation movement South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). In June, 37 SWAPO officials were arrested on church property near Windhoek, while celebrating the release of SWAPO co-founder Herman Toivo ja Toivo. Also, Zodwa and Peter Mabaso, leaders in the Catholic Marriage Encounter movement, were detained without charge in a raid on their home on October 1 and are being held in solitary confinement. Marriage Encounter, a worldwide Catholic movement, has in South Africa been increasingly critical of apartheid policies and migrant labor laws that break up black families. Amnesty International has adopted them as Prisoners of Conscience. Letters protesting their detention may be sent to South Africa Ambassador B. G. Fourie in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, State President Pieter W. Botha, and Archbishop Denis Hurley at the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SABC).
