Namibia’s Justice System Needs To Wake Up
PLEASE allow me space in your newspaper to highlight some very serious issues pertaining to the justice system in this country.
I was disturbed and enraged to read in Monday’s issue of The Namibian newspaper how prisoners serving life sentences are entitled to be considered and possibly released after only serving a minimum of 20 years. Now this is due to a parole policy drawn up in 1986, according to The Namibian.
Mind you most of those sentenced to life imprisonment, are all guilty of committing double and triple murders. On top of that you have two prisoners sentenced to life in prison for having murdered two or more people each, yet they intend/wish to sue the prison authorities due to failure to consider them for release on parole.
What kind of message does this send to the public as a whole? And should we really have faith in the system? This is a joke, the justice system has continuously failed to administer real justice for the victims of violent crimes in this country and clearly these two prisoners and many others contemplating to be released on parole feel that they have more rights compared to the people they murdered in cold-blood.
They want to be released in order to continue living their lives outside as if their crimes are not a major issue or as if those they murdered can simply be resurrected.
But what do we as the public expect when one can clearly conclude that the laws and the justice system are almost tailor-made to serve the interest of the perpetrators instead of the victims?
Another issue is also the fact that most suspects who admit to murder or to other violent crimes like to use the ‘I was under the influence of drugs when I committed the crime, hence I wasn’t in a right frame of mind when I did that’ excuse. Do people think this is an acceptable excuse or that drugs are legal in this country or why else would they say something like that?
I happen to agree with a reader who sometime last year suggested those found guilty of violent crimes and admit in court that they were under the influence of drugs should get another extra sentence for using illegal drugs.
Those committing or who intend to commit these crimes do not listen and people will continue with their criminal activities until ‘real action is taken’ and that in my opinion, is passing heavy sentences which would deter others from following suit to commit similar crimes.
Eliezser Vante-Kavela
By email