Inmates fighting for conjugal visits

American national convicted of murder, Kevan Townsend and trial-awaiting prisoner, a former magistrate, Jaco Kennedy appeared in the Windhoek High Court on Monday, in their fight for conjugal and private family visits.

The two, appearing before Judge Collins Parker, are suing the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, the Windhoek Correctional Facility, Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service, Raphael Hamunyela, and the Ombudsman, for the alleged violation of their rights, in a lengthy particulars of claim.

Townsend and Kennedy allege that in 2021, they had written a letter to the Commissioner General, Hamunyela, for the activation of trial-awaiting privileges such as conjugal and private family visits, use of televisions and cooling fans in cells, among others. Their demands, they said, fell on deaf ears.

They further claim their rights are violated by correctional officials, by removing from them, their printed semi-nude images.

According to them, their rights to use rechargeable radios and electric power plugs are also violated.

The two men, represented by Profysen Muluti, claim they are subjected to inhumane treatment as they are treated like Maximum Security sentenced offenders. As a result, they have suffered psychological and emotional shock resulting in negative neuropsychological mental health impacts, they said.

Townsend and Kennedy further claim they are subjected to 19-20 hours of lockup daily, in a “small congested cell with broken windows”.

In response, the Windhoek Correctional Facility Officer-in-Charge, Veiko Armas said the use of electricity-charged radios is prohibited at the detention centre.

“The detention cells were purposely built to have no providing sockets for a reason,” he added.

(NAMPA)
EB/PS/AS
(NAMPA)