120 Ethiopian immigrants languish in Malawi jails
Human rights groups in Malawi have expressed concern that there are 120 Ethiopians in Malawi prisons including children who were arrested for illegally entering Malawi.
An official from Centre for Human Rights Legal Resource Centre Mhango said some of the Ethiopians have stayed in Malawi jails as long as two years, describing it as illegal detentions.
He said there were many Ethiopian children at Kachere Juvenile Prison in Lilongwe who are living in pathetic conditions as sometimes they can go days without food.
“They are living in very appalling conditions, the building itself is dilapidated and can collapse any time,” he said.
He said other Ethiopians are kept at Dedza, Maula and Mzuzu prisons.
Prison officials confirmed there are many Ethiopians in prisons but said they were under the Immigration Department.
Immigration officials said the Ethiopians have stayed that long in prisons because the government has no money to send them back to their country.
They said most of them were caught using unchartered routes and without any travel document and visa and posed a security threat.
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It is unfair to keep Ethiopians in prison as if they committed a criminal offence.Astonishingly,there are tons of Pakistans,Indians and Chinese living and working illegally in our country,some of them corrupt our Senior Immigration Officers to buy legality.This is creating a bad reputation for our country internationally.Criminally motivated Asians,are not exposed to long imprisonment sentences despite grave offences.Please let our Ehiopian brothers free and if needs be,send them back to their homeland.Asians as a matter of fact,are inflicting enormous damages to our national economy through FOREX illegal transactions of millions of dollars.
let them go home…..please
If the government has no Money the government should set them free because an immigration offence is a minor ctime, is not a felony to deserve prison accommodation. If government is serious about rule of law and human rights let it comply with the international law so that these humans are not treated inhumanly. How do you keep a person who has flaunted immigration law for two years?????. In othet countries where democracy is genuine these people would have sued government for millions, in fact private practice lawyers go to those prisons and interview those people so that you can… Read more »
Nduye akhalabe mpakana boma lidzapeze ndalama zowatumizila kwawo?
Ganizani bwino pamenepo nanga muta?