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News and Information
ANOTHER INDICATION OF TAINTED TESTIMONY SURFACES IN TREASON TRIAL
| February 8, 2006 |
 Posted by: nshr on Feb 07, 2006 - 07:02 AM
February 6 2006
Namibian National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) strongly suspects that yet another State witness might have been a victim of coercive machinations to force him to give false evidence in the marathon high treason trial.
According to a report in The Namibian newspaper today a certain Progress Munsu Mulongo inter alia changed his testimony and “stumbled badly after cross-questioning” by a defense counsel before the presiding Judge, Honorable Justice Elton Hoff, in the High Court last Friday.
On April 15 2003 a male person who identified himself as Progress Munsu Mulonga (54), resident of Kasheshe village, some 25 kilometers southwest of the town of Katima Mulilo, visited NSHR’s offices at the town. Mulonga bitterly complained that members of the Namibian police (NamPol) have been visiting his place since 2000. They allegedly often visited him with statements which “I must sign concerning what those people who are in detention were doing in the meetings, but I refused”.
On June 14 2000 two NamPol members whom Mulonga had identified as A Simasiku and Mpopi Nawa allegedly took him to NamPol offices also at the town where they “subjected me to severe interrogation and beating upon denial”.
Mulonga also complained that “in order to save my life I answered positively to all the leading questions coming from my torturers”. He was also forced to sign a pre-prepared and self-incriminating statement.
According to Mulonga he was particularly forced to give false testimony to incriminate certain Geoffrey Mwilima, Gabriel Ntelamo, Leonard Ntelamo, Branson Kwala and Richwell Mukungu. The forced statement allegedly inter alia claims that Mulonga had attended a secret meeting, which the said Mwilima had supposedly addressed saying ‘Caprivi will be liberated through the barrel of the gun’.
While at NSHR offices Mulonga categorically repudiated the statement and appealed to NSHR to assist him as his “life was in danger” from NamPol members. He also handed in a handwritten document being an account of his ordeal in siLozi vernacular. NSHR is in possession of such document.
In a Press Release on January 4 2006 NSHR charged “despite the compelling evidence that torture and ill treatment have been extensively used against both suspects and certain witnesses, magistrates, judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers have … dismally failed in their obligation to ensure that such allegations of torture and ill treatment of suspects … have been promptly and effectively investigated”.
Note: In case of further enquiries please call P. ya Nangoloh or Dorkas Phillemon at Tel: +264 61 253 447 or +264 61 236 183 (office hours) or Cell: +264 811 299 886 (Phil) or +264 811 499 988 (Dorkas) or e-mail: nshr@iafrica.com.na or nshr@nshr.org.na
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Source: www.nshr.org.na |
| http://www.nshr.org.na/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=552&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 |
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