Rebels release NZer's body for autopsy

Hamish Sands

An autopsy on the body of New Zealander Hamish Sands, who died in an Ivory Coast prison, is to be held tomorrow as the rebels who held him claim they have nothing to hide.

Fresh from successful peace talks with the Ivory Coast government in Pretoria, South Africa, the New Forces rebels said that while they were already co-operating, they would turn more attention to Mr Sands' case on their return to their war-torn country.

"We are not maintaining people in bad conditions," a New Forces spokesman told National Radio today.

"We have nothing to hide."

Mr Sands was the first person to die in their custody and they wanted to know the truth, he said.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff today revealed the conditions former Hawke's Bay man Mr Sands, 36, was being kept in when he died, were much worse than the first prison he was locked in.

"We don't know much about the prison at Korhogo, where Mr Sands died, but its reputation was that it was much worse than the one he was in previously (in rebel-held Bouake).

New Zealand had secured the release of Mr Sands' body through the United Nations, and it was to be moved to the government-held capital city of Abidjan in the south of the African country this morning, Mr Goff said.

"We've arranged for the Canadian embassy to meet the body at the airport, it will be taken to a funeral home and kept under proper conditions, and an autopsy will take place tomorrow morning."

Mr Sands is believed to have died on Monday, after being to moved a second prison a week ago.

The New Forces rebels, who had been holding him since March 11, said he died of natural causes but Mr Goff said there was an early report he might have committed suicide, while foul play could also not be ruled out.

Mr Goff welcomed the promise of an investigation by the New Forces rebels.

"An autopsy will hopefully shed some light on the actual cause of death but it won't tell us the circumstances in which it happened."

Mr Goff said that by Monday he should have the outcome of the autopsy.

"We'll be talking to Mr Sands' family again today about arrangements for his body after the autopsy is complete."

The family told reporters this week they did not believe Mr Sands had taken his own life. They believed mental health problems were the reason for his behaviour leading up to his imprisonment.

Mr Sands, whose full name was Brian Hamish Thomas Sands, was being held by the New Forces on the suspicion he was a mercenary.

The rebels, who have run Ivory Coast's northern region since a 2002 rebellion, said he told them he had come to Ivory Coast to assassinate their leaders.

Mr Sands had told them he had served in the French Foreign Legion and had been a New Zealand army captain.

Mr Goff said there was no record of him having served in New Zealand, and he was only with the French Foreign Legion for 10 months, before he was dismissed for unpredictable and unstable behaviour.

- NZPA