Mr. Hilary Squires, the regime's Minister of Defence and Combined Operations up to the April elections and formerly Minister of Justice, Law and Order, has been appointed a judge of the High Court. Mr. Squires, an advocate, was sworn in on 31 May. Before entering politics he was Rhodesia's senior barrister. As a Minister, he was responsible for two major inroads into the right of persons charged with political offences to obtain adequate legal defence, presiding over the introduction both of special courts in May 1976, and special courts martial, in September 1978.
Mgr. Donal Lamont, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Umtali who was deported from Rhodesia in March 1977 after being convicted of failing to report guerillas, was allowed back into the country for a three week visit in June. A regime spokesman stressed that Bishop Lamont, who was stripped of his Rhodesian citizenship at the time of this deportation, would continue to be classed as a prohibited immigrant.
Bishop Lamont later declined to take up an offer by the regime to extend this special permit until 28 July, saying that by doing so he would compromise his principles.
On 2 July, Bishop Muzorewa announced that all missionaries previously expelled from the country or declared to be prohibited immigrants were now welcome to return.
