Apr
11
2023
Prison officials in Namibia unlawfully destroy wooden craft made by an inmate: what should the damages be?
A prison inmate has won his legal action against the Namibian authorities who confiscated and destroyed wooden craft he had with him in his cell. They have been ordered to pay damages to him – and their interpretation of the law, which formed the basis of their confiscation, has also been shown to have been completely wrong.
Read judgment
Alexander van Schalkwyk is a prisoner in Namibia and has spent time in several jails.
Earlier this year he appeared in the high court, Windhoek, in a different capacity, however: not as an accused, but as a claimant who wanted his rights. According to his claim, the prison authorities had destroyed some of his property and he wanted compensation.
