Cape Town — The inquest into the death of Imam Abdullah Haron was reopened today, and the case is now under way at the High Court in Cape Town, EWN reports.
In his opening remarks, Judge Daniel Thulare said that during the two weeks dedicated to the inquest he hoped to “engage, in public … in a thorough, proper, full and fair investigation of the cause or likely cause of death of Imam Abdullah Haron and that we are in truth able to determine whether the death was brought about by any act or omission prima facie involving or amounting to an offence on the part of any person”.
According to IOL, Thulare then called on the public to come forward and provide relevant evidence that may assist the investigation to determine what happened to Haron.
The apartheid activist was arrested and incarcerated under under section 6 of the Terrorism Act between May 28 and September 27, 1969. Haron died during his detention at the age of 45. The inquest comes more than 53 years after the fact.
The apartheid government’s security branch alleged at the time that he died after “a fall down the stairs” during his imprisonment. A post-mortem revealed a fractured rib along with 27 bruises, and Haron’s family say the injuries were the result of police brutality. He was found dead in his cell on September 27, 1969.
The matter will continue in the Cape High Court.