Prosecutor General drops case against gender violence protesters
The Peoples Litigation Centre (PLC) has welcomed the Prosecutor General (PG) Advocate Martha Imalwa’s decision not to prosecute a group of young people who were detained, and charged by the Namibian Police on 10 October for protesting against gender violence.
The centre said that as a catalyst of social, legal and political reform, it is their main focus to ensure that fundamental human rights are upheld at all material times.
“The PG made it clear that her decision not to prosecute was based solely on the context under which the protests were held and that she understands the public’s frustrations when it comes to gender violence,” they explained.
Further the centre would like NAMPOL to take note that their violent actions against unarmed peaceful protesters will not go unnoticed, now and in the future.
“It is disheartening to note that protests aimed at addressing the ongoing gender based violence pandemic were quashed for reasons only known to NAMPOL, we expect the force to be part of the solution, not the problem,” they added.
Meanwhile the centre urged the government to redirect its energy to find lasting solutions to eliminate violence, especially gender violence in society instead of harassing innocent citizens.
