/ 18 January 1999

MUTINEERS’ LAWYERS QUIT

THE trial of 50 Lesotho soldiers on mutiny charges hit an unexpected snag on Monday when all six lawyers in the defence team withdrew. Spokesperson for the defence team Khalaki Sello said the lawyers withdrew to register their objection to the trial being held inside a maximum security prison. The trial was adjourned to Tuesday to enable the accused to seek new legal representation. The 50 soldiers were charged with mutiny following an uprising in the army last September in which senior officiers of the Lesotho Defence Force were “dismissed” by a group of junior officers. The mutiny precipitated the intervention in the kingdom by Southern African Development Community troops.