§ Mr. Elystan Morganasked the Prime Minister what is the number of persons detained in custody by the Smith régime in Rhodesia for political reasons; and how many of these are native Africans.
§ Mr. BowdenI have been asked to reply. We have no accurate figures of the number of persons detained nor the grounds for detention in individual cases. On 1st July, 1966, a spokesman for the illegal régime stated that detention orders had been issued against 95 persons since 11th November, 1965. Six of those had since been released on permit and three had had their orders revoked. Of the remaining 86, 84 were Africans. The statement does not include the number of those restricted which the régime claimed on 19th August, 1966, was 365 nor does it appear to take account of those detained for periods of up to thirty days.