By Pemphero Malimba:
President Lazarus Chakwera has pardoned 49 prisoners as part of Easter celebrations.
This is contained in a statement signed by Principal Secretary for Homeland Security Steven Kayuni.
Kayuni says Chakwera has also reduced the sentences of all other prisoners by six months as one way of decongesting the country’s prisons.
He says the pardoned prisoners include those who have served half of their sentences, the chronically ill, the elderly and female convicts who were accompanied by their children to prison.
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“This is pursuant to Section 89(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, Section 111 of the Prisons Act, and the guidelines for the granting of pardon to convicted persons,” he says in the statement.
decongest prisons
Meanwhile, Centre for Human Rights Education Advice and Assistance Executive Director Victor Mhango has commended Chakwera for his political will towards operations of the country’s prisons.
“We are very happy with his gesture. This shows that there is political will when it comes to prison issues,” he said.
He said the pardon will greatly reduce congestion in prisons.
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“This is going to decongest the prisons. As I am talking, the prison congestion rate is at around 260 percent. As such, we anticipate that the pardoning of some prisoners will create space for others and will also reduce pressure on the authorities, in terms of feeding prisoners, because it is very expensive to feed them on a daily basis,” he said.
During Easter, Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
