PDM’s Hengari sues police for N$2m

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lawmaker Inna Hengari is instituting a N$2 million lawsuit against the Namibian Police following her arrest in March 2023 on charges that were eventually thrown out by the court.The radical member of parliament was arrested during a planned Independence Day march by unemployed graduates, and spent days locked up in police custody before she was granted bail of N$5 000.Hengari made the monetary demands in a letter to police chief Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo, with her lawyer Mesekameneko Tjituri claiming that she suffered shock and trauma at the hands of the police. “As a consequence of your members’ unlawful and reprehensible conduct, we herewith notify you... that you are liable to a civil claim by our client for pain and suffering, shock and trauma, loss of proper amenities of life and discomfort, and that we shall be instituting civil proceedings in the High Court of Namibia on 15 March,” the letter read. Hengari invited the police to negotiate toward a settlement before the matter is heard in the High Court. “We accordingly invite you to make any reasonable and acceptable offer or to engage in an amicable settlement and negotiation to avert legal proceedings herein within the above stated period,” her lawyer wrote. Dissenting voicesHengari last year threatened legal action against the police, citing her unlawful arrest and detention as the reasons for her suit. “I will make use of all legal instruments available to me, as a citizen who spoke up in the face of injustice and chose to stand side by side with the young unemployed people of this country, to seek justice for unlawful arrest, amongst other things.”She added: "We must never treat these arrests as isolated cases, because the continued arrests and detention of dissenting voices is not in line with our national values and principles, as enshrined in our constitution. I will be going toe-to-toe with the state and security apparatus on this”.Hengari was arrested alongside Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) member Michael Amushelelo, and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, co-founder of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. They were charged with counts of public violence, malicious damage to property and incitement to public violence. The trio was arrested despite calling off the demonstration, following a failed court bid to proceed with the protest. The State, however, later withdrew charges against Hengari and Nauyoma after stating that there was no prima facie case against them, but pursued Amushelelo - who spent seven months in jail - to the end. He was eventually found not guilty.

PDM’s Hengari sues police for N$2m

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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PDM’s Hengari sues police for N$2m

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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