Activist arrested for calling judges ‘puppets’

Namibian social activist Michael Amushelelo has been held in contempt of court and arrested after referring to judges as ‘puppets’ and ‘little gods’ in the Windhoek High Court on Monday. The Namibian reports that acting Judge Doris Hans-Kaumbi said statements made by the activist were a clear attack on the independence of the judiciary. She recounted that he said, during a hearing before her, that judges are puppets who answer to the authority that appointed them, that they would not bite the hand that feeds them, and that they think of themselves as ‘little gods’. After ordering Amushelelo’s arrest, Hans-Kaumbi said he should be detained at Windhoek Correctional Facility until he is sentenced. Amushelelo made the remarks during an application by him for Hans-Kaumbi to step down from a case in which Namibian police Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo is suing him. Amushelelo requested a postponement to give him more time to get legal representation on the matter, but this was refused by the judge. Shikongo is asking the court to order Amushelelo to immediately remove remarks about Shikongo that he posted on Facebook last week. In the remarks, Amushelelo referred to a fatal road collision in which Shikongo was involved in 2022 and about which he has not faced any criminal charges.

Full report in The Namibian