A South African court ruled yesterday that 70 men held in Harare as suspected mercenaries should not be brought home to stand trial, rejecting lawyers? arguments they will not get a fair hearing in Zimbabwe.

The Pretoria High Court dismissed the application, saying it was not within its jurisdiction to rule on the requested extradition.

The men, arrested in Zim-babwe in March, are accused of being linked to another group being held in Equatorial Guinea on charges of plotting to topple the government of the tiny oil-rich West African state. The men, all of whom carry South African passports, deny the charges and say they were part of a security detail that was on its way to guard mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Friends and family of the men have urged the South African government to intervene, saying they fear Harare might extradite them to Equatorial Guinea, where they could face execution if found guilty.