a police permit to protest, but applications are sometimes rejected. In June, youth activist Tlamelo Tsurupe was arrested and held briefly after protesting against youth unemployment in front of parliament and refusing to move. He subsequently launched #UnemploymentMovement. In July, the movement applied for a permit to protest but this was rejected. Despite this, on 8 August the group protested outside parliament. They were beaten by police and four were arrested and held overnight at Central Police Station on charges of “common nuisance”. Two of the four needed medical assistance. The police also arrested three journalists covering the protest and forced them to hand over video footage of the protest. The police subsequently granted a permit for a demonstration, which took place on 13 August. RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE Same-sex sexual relationships remained illegal. In August, a man charged under Section 164 of the Penal Code with “having carnal knowledge with another man against the order of nature” was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by Gaborone Magistrates Court. The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), which submitted an appeal, argued that Section 164 discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The appeal had not been heard by the end of 2016. In March, in a landmark case, the Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) won its appeal in the High Court to register as an independent organization. The LEGABIBO had been denied registration by the Home Affairs Ministry since 2012. The High Court ruled that the refusal to register LEGABIBO violated the applicants’ rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. WOMEN’S RIGHTS a 16-year-old girl. A case of defilement could not be brought against him because the Penal Code defines defilement as a sexual act with a child aged under 16. No disciplinary action was known to have been taken by the councillor’s political party, the Botswana Democratic Party. RIGHT TO HEALTH – MINEWORKERS On 7 October, the government closed without warning or consultation the BCL and Tati Nickel mines. The sudden closures threatened anti-retroviral therapy treatment and counselling services for mineworkers living with HIV/AIDS as the government failed to make alternative health care provisions. It also left over 4,700 mineworkers uncertain about their retrenchment benefits. REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS The encampment policy, which restricts refugees to the Dukwe camp 547km from the capital, Gaborone, continued to limit refugees’ freedom of movement. The government announced that it had revoked the refugee status of Namibians from 31 December 2015, even though Namibians who had fled conflict in the Caprivi region of Namibia in 1998 still faced persecution there. Refugees who returned to Namibia in late 2015 were convicted of charges ranging from high treason to illegally exiting Namibia. Later in January 2016, the Botswana High Court ruled that Namibian refugees should not be repatriated until a legal case brought against the revocation order had been decided. The High Court judgment was upheld on appeal in March. DEATH PENALTY In May, Patrick Gabaakanye was executed for a murder committed in 2014. This brought to 49 the total number of people executed since independence in 1966. Executions were conducted in secret. Families were given no notice and were denied access to the burial site. Sexual abuse of women and girls was reported. A councillor of the city of Sebina was accused of molesting and impregnating 90 Amnesty International Report 2016/17