Police chief eroded Amushelelo’s, Nauyoma’s right to demonstrate, judge finds
Suspended Namibian Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo eroded the essential content of the right to demonstrate when he directed that a public demonstration about unemployment in Namibia was not to take place on Independence Day in 2023, an acting judge of the High Court has found. Acting judge Natasha Bassingthwaighte made the finding in a […] The post Police chief eroded Amushelelo’s, Nauyoma’s right to demonstrate, judge finds appeared first on The Namibian .
Suspended Namibian Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo eroded the essential content of the right to demonstrate when he directed that a public demonstration about unemployment in Namibia was not to take place on Independence Day in 2023, an acting judge of the High Court has found.
Acting judge Natasha Bassingthwaighte made the finding in a judgement in which she on Wednesday awarded N$300 000 to activist Michael Amushelelo and N$80 000 to a fellow activist, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, in connection with their arrest, detention and prosecution in 2023.
The Public Gatherings Proclamation of 1989, on which Shikongo relied when he notified the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters not to stage their demonstration against unemployment on 21 March 2023, cannot be used by the police chief to refuse or prevent anyone from holding a public gathering, Bassingthwaighte said in her judgement.
