Reinhard Gertze (1960 - 13 March 2008) was a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n university lecturer and parliamentarian as a member of the Congress of Democrats

Congress of Democrats

The Congress of Democrats is a political party in Namibia, led by Ben Ulenga. It is an opposition party represented in the National Assembly.The party is an observer of the Socialist International.- 2004 elections :...

 party. He was in the National Assembly

National Assembly of Namibia

The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...

 from 2005 until his death in 2008. He had previously been a lecturer at the University of Namibia

University of Namibia

The University of Namibia is the national university of Namibia, located in the Pioneers Park district of Windhoek. Established by an act of National Assembly on 31 August 1992, UNAM includes Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Economics & Management Science Education, Humanities and...

.

Personal

Gertze was born in 1960 in Otjimbingwe

Otjimbingwe

Otjimbingwe is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8000 inhabitants.The Rhenish Mission Society used Otjimbingwe as a central location for their Namibian mission in 1849. Johannes Rath and his family settled in the area on 11 July that year, and the settlement...

, Erongo Region

Erongo Region

Erongo is one of the 13 regions of Namibia. It comprises the Swakopmund magisterial district up to the Ugab River and includes Walvis Bay, Omaruru and Karibib magisterial districts. This region is named after Erongo mountain, a well known landmark in Namibia and in this area...

. He died on 13 March 2008 in Windhoek

Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...

. He was eulogized

Eulogy

A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...

 by fellow detainee and friend Pauline Dempers

Pauline Dempers

Pauline Frannzisca Dempers is a Namibian human rights activist and politician. In 1996, Dempers became national coordinator for Breaking the Wall of Silence , a group which advocates for the rights of those detained by SWAPO during the Namibian War of Independence...

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Education

Gertze left for exile into Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 with SWAPO in 1978. He soon left to the United Nations Institute for Namibia

United Nations Institute for Namibia

The United Nations Institute for Namibia was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia from 1976-1990. Based in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, UNIN was the brainchild of United Nations Commissioner for Namibia Seán MacBride, the proposal creating UNIN was adopted by the...

 in Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

. After finishing his studies in Zambia, Gertze left for France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a teaching diploma. Gertze later returned to France and earned a Master of Arts degree in Linguistic Theories and Literature at the Metz University.

Torture

While in exile with SWAPO, Gertze was arrested and served 6 years in the Lubango dungeons, a SWAPO prison in Lubango

Lubango

Lubango is the capital city of the Angolan province of Huíla. Its last known population was 100,757. Until 1975, the city's official name was Sá da Bandeira.-Portuguese rule:...

, Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

. After returning to Namibia after independence, Gertze served as President of the Breaking the Wall of Silence

Breaking the Wall of Silence

Breaking the Wall of Silence is a non-governmental organization in Windhoek, Namibia. It is named after Siegfried Groth book Namibia – Breaking the Wall of Silence, and was formed at the occasion of the book's release in 1996....

(BWS) movement which worked for government recognition of past abuses of SWAPO detainees while in exile. An estimated 2,000 Namibians died in 5 prison camps run by SWAPO while in exile.