JOKE OF CENTURY BY NAMIBIAN POLICE I say, comrades, the Namibian Police and NamRights are friends. However, in a statement released at a press conference to which NamRights was not invited, the Police reportedly accused inter alia NamRights of, among other things, issuing an “irresponsible press release that circulated the globe” as well as “the fictitious and malicious allegations levelled against the police by Namrights and any of its representatives”. Then the Police threatened “to take legal action against all those responsible for malicious damage”. Police reportedly also said “such slanderous publications may have an impact on the relationship between the police force and community”. As the head of NamRights my reply to the above utterances is that the Police, like anyone else, have the right to freedom of expression and opinion. This include the right to severely criticize NamRights and other media for reporting on the serious allegations of inter alia Police brutality leveled against them by the Struggle Kids themselves. Hence, the Police are actually shooting the messenger. The public has seen on their television screens and have read in their newspapers how the Police brutalized the Struggle Kids. There are numerous video and still pictures that NamRights and other media have taken of the unbecoming behavior of some—not all---members of the Namibian Police during those confrontations with Struggle Kids. So, there is enough prima facie evidence that conduct of the Police was totally unacceptable and irresponsible to say the least. Moreover, in an apparent self-contradiction, the Police has reportedly also revealed to the media after a confrontation with the Police on 5 March, about 20 Struggle Kids have laid criminal charges against the Police and the case is still under investigations by internal unit directorate of the Police. Assuming this is true, what are the Police investigating then if their conduct was so “procedural and in accordance with the law”? Moreover, we are worried about this and we doubt whether their “internal” investigation will ever be impartial and credible, because you cannot investigate yourself. Hence, NamRights strongly calls for an independent investigation, perhaps one by the Office of the Ombudsman to be made into the allegations against the Police! As regards their threats of legal action against NamRights, let me make this very clear: LET THEM DARE! NamRights will smash any legal action they may take like an elephant smashing a squirrel mouse. They must be very wise not to squander taxpayers’ money on a frivolous legal action such as this one. As a government agency, the Police have no legal standing, whatsoever, to sue anyone for defamation! Full stop! So their legal action threat is a JOKE OF THE CENTURY! We don’t take it seriously!
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:20:20 +0000
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