A Pretoria High Court judge urged authorities on Tuesday to respect the human rights of the 22 alleged Boeremag members being tried for treason after their lawyers complained the men were being manhandled.
In return, the accused should also treat their captors with respect, Judge Eben Jordaan said.
”Any person, including a detainee, is entitled to decent treatment,” he said.
”I am told this trial is going to take years. I ask of everybody … to work together. Treat each other with decency.”
Legal counsel for some of the men complained that their clients were being driven to and from court at high speeds while their hands and feet were shackled.
This resulted in injuries, such as the men bumping their heads.
They also claimed they were being denied contact visits with their loved ones, and sessions with spiritual workers.
Some of the men complained about being denied beverages over tea time during court sessions.
Prosecutor Paul Fick, however, told the court some of the men were deliberately obstructionist.
They swore at and provoked police members, refused to get into vehicles transporting them to and from court, and insisted on having safety belts when these were not legally prescribed for the vehicles they travelled in.
The men face 42 charges ranging from high treason, terrorism and sabotage to murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition.
The State alleges they plotted as members of a right-wing grouping calling itself the Boeremag to overthrow the government. – Sapa