A gripping memoir of Namibia's dark days

In Namibia, the 1980s were a dark decade of human rights abuses by SA security forces. Justice David Smuts, then a young Windhoek lawyer, felt compelled to take on the system.

His gripping memoir details several dramatic cases, including the freeing of detainees held secretly for six years, proving that torture was used to extract “confessions” and that Koevoet knowingly killed citizens.

Smuts also takes a fresh look at the assassination of Anton Lubowski, anti-apartheid activist and his close friend.

This highly readable real-life thriller about standing up for what is right sheds light on a shocking, largely untold part of our recent history.

‘An engrossing read, crammed with courtroom dramas and car chases to the border and back. A story about the battle for human dignity in the 1980s — inspiring for all who still live in history’s shadow.’ — Justice Edwin Cameron

• Article provided by NB Publishers