Govt says it is not to blame for abuses by civil servants

GOVERNMENT says it cannot be held responsible for human rights abuses committed by its officials and law enforcement agents.

Without disputing a myriad of purported human rights abuses by State agents, listed in the latest report of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), a Government spokesperson rather advised the organisation to take the alleged perpetrators to court. “The Government cannot be held responsible for utterances or deeds of individuals, even if they are politicians, officials or members of the police and prison services,” said Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Mock Shivute.”If the organisation (NSHR) is not courageous enough to have alleged human rights abuses tested in court, it should start using some of its money to help the Government educate Namibians on their rights so that they would know what to do if anybody infringes on their rights.”The voluminous NSHR’s ‘Namibia Human Rights Report’ released last week cites President Sam Nujoma, the ruling Swapo Party and the Police’s Special Force Unit (SFF) as the biggest culprits of human rights abuses against perceived political opponents in the last 12 months.According to the reports, extra-judicial killings, torture, enforced disappearance, abuse of power, arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, attacks on the judiciary and racial discrimination, are but some of the problems which escalated between July 31 2003 and July 31 this year.But Shivute countered that the report still reverted back to pre-Independence events, charging that the NSHR only preferred to target Nujoma, the Government and Swapo.Shivute also took strong exception to the human rights watchdog’s likening of Namibia’s planned land expropriation programme to neighbouring Zimbabwe’s chaotic land grabbing.”The Government cannot be held responsible for utterances or deeds of individuals, even if they are politicians, officials or members of the police and prison services,” said Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Mock Shivute.”If the organisation (NSHR) is not courageous enough to have alleged human rights abuses tested in court, it should start using some of its money to help the Government educate Namibians on their rights so that they would know what to do if anybody infringes on their rights.”The voluminous NSHR’s ‘Namibia Human Rights Report’ released last week cites President Sam Nujoma, the ruling Swapo Party and the Police’s Special Force Unit (SFF) as the biggest culprits of human rights abuses against perceived political opponents in the last 12 months.According to the reports, extra-judicial killings, torture, enforced disappearance, abuse of power, arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, attacks on the judiciary and racial discrimination, are but some of the problems which escalated between July 31 2003 and July 31 this year.But Shivute countered that the report still reverted back to pre-Independence events, charging that the NSHR only preferred to target Nujoma, the Government and Swapo.Shivute also took strong exception to the human rights watchdog’s likening of Namibia’s planned land expropriation programme to neighbouring Zimbabwe’s chaotic land grabbing.