Maria Amakali
Windhoek
The Supreme Court has sentenced one of the accused in the Caprivi high treason case to 10 years behind bars after he was found guilty.
The 60-year-old Albius Motto Liseli was sentenced to 20 years in prison of which 10 years were suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of high treason during the period of suspension.
Liseli, who is a first-time offender, worked as an administrator in the apartheid colonial administration and formed part of the group at Sachonan, Caprivi Region who wanted to secede Caprivi from Namibia through violent means.
Liseli, who did not play any leadership role, was trained to drill and use firearms and later became a soldier. He then fled with 91 other people to Bostwana where they resided at a refugee camp in Dunkwe for two years.
They later returned to Namibia in 1999 in an attempt to take over the Caprivi where a number of people lost their lives during the attack in August that year.
In 2001 he joined a group in Namibia whose aim was to continue with the attempt to secede the Caprivi, however they could not attempt anything as they did not have enough military weapons or food.
The accused returned to his village and was called upon once again to join the fight for the Caprivi secession, but he instead fled to Zambia where he lived until his arrest in 2009 when he handed himself over to the Namibian authorities.
Liseli has been in custody for almost nine years and has since become a preacher during his incarceration.
“Given the change of heart and the fact that he has led a crime-free life, the accused is capable of reform and should be afforded opportunity to return to society,” explained Judge Marlene Tommasi.