Malawi govt risks classic suit from immigrants for ‘illegal detained’ in prison

A civil rights organization has warned government that it risks a classic law suit from immigrants whom the state continues to hold in prisons instead of deporting them.

Mhango addressing prisoners
Mhango addressing prisoners

Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance Victor Mhango said the government continues to hold 119 immigrants from Ethiopia in the country’s prisons.

“This is illegal. The immigrants, guilty on immigration laws are supposed to be in detention centres not prisons. The sad thing is that most of them, who were sent to prison, completed their prison terms long ago and yet the government continues to hold them in prisons. This is illegal detention,” he said.

He said 40 of the 119 immigrants are children yet they are still kept at Maula Prison in Lilongwe.

“They are in very pathetic conditions. The children are all malnourished. The government is just getting bad image for nothing, why not release and deport them? Very soon the government will get a law suit and the tax payer will pay for the government mistakes,” he said.

Mhango said in addition, keeping 119 prisoners is expensive, saying releasing them would cut on costs of running the prisons.

Immigration authorities said the government has no money to deport the 119 immigrants, saying the exercise would start as soon as money has been identified.

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Jelbin Makamo
Jelbin Makamo
7 years ago

Mr Mwale you don’t understand unlawful detention, South Africa is a very professional country they don’t flaut laws as our country does they don’t risk as these clueless government does. In SA once the law is twisted you just aproach private law practitioners who take the government to court on your behalf. And as am saying now those who had exceeded the time provided by the law are being released because they don’t want to waste money for unreasonable things that could be prevented. And i swear to you, no one whether a foreigner or native South African is held… Read more »

Andy Mwale
Andy Mwale
7 years ago

What class action? Every country has a right to protect itself from undesirable elements. Can the same people go to South Africa and sue the SA government for the many Malawians currently held at the Lindela Detention Centre before they go around displaying their foolishness.

JK Sims
JK Sims
7 years ago
Reply to  Andy Mwale

I think you did not read boss.. The problem is keeping them in prison.. Lindela is not prison its a detention centre.. They are not criminals and they must not be put together with criminals. If SA was putting Malawians in the notorious sun city prison… imagine how bad that would have been!!!

khesha
khesha
7 years ago
Reply to  Andy Mwale

I understand this guy explained better that detention center is the best place and not prison I wonder if the two are the same

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