Amushelelo to wife: I’ll be home soon
Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) commissar Michael Amushelelo told his wife Julieta he will be home soon, after he, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Inna Hengari and Affirmative Repositioning (AR) co-founder Dimbulukeni Nauyoma were remanded in custody yesterday.
The three had their case postponed to 29 March, and are expected to apply for bail today.
They have been charged with contravening the Public Gathering Act, inciting public violence leading to malicious damage of property and violating a court order, with Hengari exempted of the latter charge.
They were arrested during a peaceful but unauthorised march against high rates of unemployment on Tuesday, as the country celebrated Independence Day.
Not a threat
According to Hengari's lawyer, Mesekameneko Tjituri from Tjituri Law Chambers, the opposition politician’s bail application will be filed as an urgent one, seeing that she's not a threat to the investigation.
"I don't see any harm that such a remand be made final as decided by the Prosecutor-General. My client is a first-time offender and those grounds for objection don't suit her,” he said.
“We note that my client is charged for counts one and two and we will produce evidence as to why she is a candidate for bail."
The court did not grant bail yesterday, stating that the accused might interfere with the investigations and witnesses.
If granted, the accused’s bail conditions will be that they are not charged for a similar offence while on bail.
Amushelelo and Nauyoma last year spent three months behind bars after leading a demonstration at Windhoek’s Chinatown. They were denied bail in the lower court but succeeded after approaching the High Court.
Refused
On Monday, High Court Judge Eileen Rakow dismissed Amushelelo’s urgent application for an interdict against the police, which had refused to grant permission for the national unemployment march.
Namibian Sun reported on Wednesday that the police chief, Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo, informed the group of protesters last week that a national protest on youth unemployment is impossible on a public holiday, attributing this to a lack of capacity to ensure safety for everyone.
Hordes of protesters gathered despite the resistance and were seen in the streets of Windhoek with posters, all sporting different descriptions of pain caused by unemployment.
In several videos that have since gone viral on social media, protesters can be heard screaming and crying in agony as they were beaten down by police officers trying to establish order.
PDM is understood to have taken exception to the fact that Hengari and fellow parliamentarian Hidipo Hamata participated in the march, and some party leaders have been reluctant to assist her.
The three had their case postponed to 29 March, and are expected to apply for bail today.
They have been charged with contravening the Public Gathering Act, inciting public violence leading to malicious damage of property and violating a court order, with Hengari exempted of the latter charge.
They were arrested during a peaceful but unauthorised march against high rates of unemployment on Tuesday, as the country celebrated Independence Day.
Not a threat
According to Hengari's lawyer, Mesekameneko Tjituri from Tjituri Law Chambers, the opposition politician’s bail application will be filed as an urgent one, seeing that she's not a threat to the investigation.
"I don't see any harm that such a remand be made final as decided by the Prosecutor-General. My client is a first-time offender and those grounds for objection don't suit her,” he said.
“We note that my client is charged for counts one and two and we will produce evidence as to why she is a candidate for bail."
The court did not grant bail yesterday, stating that the accused might interfere with the investigations and witnesses.
If granted, the accused’s bail conditions will be that they are not charged for a similar offence while on bail.
Amushelelo and Nauyoma last year spent three months behind bars after leading a demonstration at Windhoek’s Chinatown. They were denied bail in the lower court but succeeded after approaching the High Court.
Refused
On Monday, High Court Judge Eileen Rakow dismissed Amushelelo’s urgent application for an interdict against the police, which had refused to grant permission for the national unemployment march.
Namibian Sun reported on Wednesday that the police chief, Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo, informed the group of protesters last week that a national protest on youth unemployment is impossible on a public holiday, attributing this to a lack of capacity to ensure safety for everyone.
Hordes of protesters gathered despite the resistance and were seen in the streets of Windhoek with posters, all sporting different descriptions of pain caused by unemployment.
In several videos that have since gone viral on social media, protesters can be heard screaming and crying in agony as they were beaten down by police officers trying to establish order.
PDM is understood to have taken exception to the fact that Hengari and fellow parliamentarian Hidipo Hamata participated in the march, and some party leaders have been reluctant to assist her.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article