PRESS RELEASE

NSHR once again congratulates Namibian Police (NamPol) officers for seizing a large number of automatic weapons from civilians in and around the Ondangwa area. According to human rights monitors, NamPol officers, on March 4 2008, nabbed at least 8 prominent SWAPO Party politicians and businesspeople, including a woman, that were found in possession of weapons of war, as automatic assault rifles are called in NamPol parlance. The seized weapons were AK-47 automatic assault rifles, monitors said, citing “very reliable” sources.

The suspects have already appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Ondangwa and were released after paying a bond of N$1000 each, human rights monitor said. The identities of the all the suspects are known to NSHR.

“It is not quite clear how these weapons landed into the hands of these politicians, appreciating the fact that then NamPol Police Commander in the Owambo District, Col. James Tjivikua, seized most of these weapons in the early 1990s. We applaud the seizure of such weapons especially at this point in time as some of those politicians, from whom the weapons had been seized, have been implicated in the ongoing acts of provocation directed against human rights defenders and supporters and members of the newly founded Rally for Democracy and Progress (RPD) in recent weeks”, NSHR spokesperson Dorkas Phillemon said.

Meanwhile, very reliable sources in the Oshana Region also said NamPol members have impounded at 4 AK-47 and R1 automatic assault rifles from Ondonga King Immanuel Elifas recently. It is also unknown as to how King Elifas acquired these weapons.

In case of additional comment, please call Dorkas Phillemon or Phil ya Nangoloh at Tel: 061 236 183 or 061 253 447 (office hours) or Cell: +264 811 299 641 (Dorkas) or Cell: +264 811 299 886 (Phil) or E-mail: nshr@nshr.org.na or visit: National Society for Human Rights :: Tolerance - Liberty - Happiness