A 42-YEAR-OLD fisherman has been admitted to the Katutura Intermediate Hospital after he was allegedly assaulted by police officers at Rosh Pinah.
Aimbale Dominikus, who has been a fisherman for the past 19 years, says after going fishing in the Orange River on 8 November, he went to sell the fish at the Tutaleni settlement.
Dominikus said on his way home, on the same day, a group of armed police officers approached him and forced him to go into the police van.
“I asked them what I did wrong. They kicked me so badly and punched me because I asked them why they were arresting me before they grabbed me and threw me into the van.
“They handcuffed me and drove me to the station where I was beaten all over and kicked in my chest and head,” he narrated from his hospital bed yesterday.
Dominikus said he slept in the cell, but the following day the police noticed he was not feeling well and immediately released him.
//Kharas police acting commander for the region deputy commissioner Tauno Hamukoto said they are aware of an assault case but said they will send a police officer to the hospital in Katutura to confirm if it was Dominikus’ case.
Dominikus, who said he was not informed why he was arrested, said he was badly injured and could not speak or walk for a month.
“I could not move properly, my whole body was in pain. I decided to go to the nearby Sidadi clinic where I paid N$600 for treatment,” he said.
He was later transferred to Windhoek.
Dominikus claimed that one of the police officers who assaulted him had been buying fish from him on credit and he once refused to sell him fish.
He claims that after refusing to sell him fish, the officer gave him a ticket of N$1 000 for allegedly assaulting someone.
Dominikus has undergone two operations and has been unable to eat by himself for more than a month.
“I had a stomach operation. They drained blood from my abdomen because of internal bleeding and I had to have a blood transfusion of two litres. I could not eat or speak for a month. From this, I can’t even do any work anymore or help my little kids,” said the father of three.
Dominikus is the breadwinner of his family.
“I don’t know how I’ll survive. My kids were in the hostel, now the schools are closed, no one is looking after them. I’m scared they don’t even have food,” he said.
According to his medical card which The Namibian saw, the patient has a history of assault by the police who kicked him in the abdomen, and is now having difficulty passing urine.
Dominikus is asking for any good Samaritan to assist him in fighting for justice in the matter.
“I’m now here, unable to walk and open a case. I’m appealing to anyone who can assist me to open a case,” he said.
His brother who stays at Aussessnker, Johannes Siike, said it is a terrible experience to go through, especially when they are unsure whether he will be able to work again.
“He is the breadwinner, the family depends on his fishing which enables him to send money back home. He is a strong hardworking man. We are scared things won’t be the same after the incident,” he said.
Siike said the police should do something as they have caused a burden to the family.
