Families of victims of torture and killings by members of the security sectors during political instabilities in Lesotho, gathered in Maseru yesterday to read out their petition letter, in which they request the intervention of leaders including the Right Honorable Prime Minister of Lesotho Dr Motsoahae Thoamas Thabane, the president of Namibia who is also the chairperson of SADC, and the Government of the United States of America, in their being affored justice in the killings of members of their families.

At the gathering Professor Nqosa Mahoa, who is a brother of the laid former LDF Commander Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao, said as the bereaved families they do not accept clause ten of the Memorandum of Understanding, between the Government of Lesotho and the opposition parties in Lesotho, which provides that the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho shall ensure the safety of all citizens in exile, and will provide adequate security for Mr Mothejoa Metsing and other similarly placed in exile.

The clause further indicates that Mr Metsing and other leaders, will not be subjected to any pending criminal proceedings, during the dialogue and reforms process.

Professor Mahoa said as the bereaved families, they strongly protest this part of the memorandum of understanding for the reason that at no stage they were not consulted neither before nor after the MOU was signed.

He said they are deeply concerned because there are several cases in which they lost their relatives in which Mr Mesting and some of those in exile with him are prime suspects.

The second reason is that while this section of MOU purposed to suspend temporarily criminal proceeding against Mr Metsing and similarly placed exiles during the dialogue and the reforms process in occasions irreparable harm and prejudice to their families right to justice guaranteed by the constitution in article nineteen and other laws of Lesotho.

On the third reason he said on the account of the long drawn delays to prosecute the cases because of obstructions by the former government of which Mr Metsing was a leading figure some key witnesses have already died and mysteriously court files have disappeared within the judicial systems in related cases.

Their fourth reason for not accepting clause ten is that some criminal proceedings involving some of the similarly placed exiled are already ongoing in the courts of law and one example is that of the Former Minister of Defence Mr T’seliso Mokhosi who is charged in the murder case of Police Constable Mokalekale Khetheng.

The fifth and the final reason is that the government undertaking to stay cases against Mr Metsing and similarly placed exiled is the invasion of the independence of the judiciary.