Support for Kriel petition
124 sign up demanding re-opening of investigation into Struggle hero’s death
WEDNESDAY MARCH 9 2016
AN ONLINE petition demanding the reopening of the investigation into Ashley Kriel’s death has garnered support after forensic investigator David Klatzow concluded that the young Umkhonto we Sizwe guerrilla was murdered by security police in 1987.
The change.org petition, created by Brian Ebden, demands that police investigate a case of murder and that Parliament overturn the amnesty granted to former police captain Jeffrey Benzien at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the 1990s.
The petition, that has gained at least 124 signatures so far, also wants Parliament to “actively engage in the prosecution of Kriel’s murder”.
Kriel was shot at a house in Hazendal, Athlone on July 9, 1987, with security police claiming his death was an “accident”.
In his submissions to the TRC, Benzien said Kriel produced a .22 pistol in the course of his arrest.
He told the TRC he had tried to take the gun away from Kriel. A scuffle ensued, during which Kriel was shot in the back.
Benzien said the shot was fired from Kriel’s pistol.
Kriel’s sisters, Michel Assure and Melanie Adams, said they welcome the petition and any assistance that could help in finding justice for their brother.
“We urge people to always keep Ashley and all his comrades in their memory.
“We also urge the families of other fallen heroes to speak up about their deaths and make their voices heard,” said Assure.
The family reiterated that they were assessing their legal options.
“What we foresee now is a possibility of strenuous financial pressure. We would need help if we are going to reopen the case,” she said.
Earlier this week, Kriel’s family and the Western Cape ANC told the Cape Argus they were prepared to take photographic evidence presented by Klatzow to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible prosecution.
Kriel’s sisters said their family was denied justice twice – by the police inquiry into their brother’s death and by the TRC, as Klatzow’s evidence suggests that Benzien lied in his submissions to the TRC.
Adams said their mother, Ivy Kriel, who died of a stroke in 1995, had been slowly tortured by the “suspicious circumstances” surrounding her son’s death.
Klatzow’s forensic evidence indicated that Kriel, 20, was murdered rather than accidentally shot.
Klatzow said he believed that Kriel was shot from behind and “from a distance,” while his wrists were handcuffed behind his back.