Malawi police cell brutality does not make sense in this era
Cries and revelations of how suspects are ill-treated in the country’s police cells are not only shocking and uncalled, but also not knew.
Time and again, local papers have screamed—after their respective investigations—how many a suspect have been abandoned in our police cells.
Recent is a murder suspect in Mzuzu who has spent a whopping eight years at Mzuzu Prison without bail. Thanks to the good heavens, the suspect has a lawyer who has committed to work pro bono in the name of Christone Ghambi.
Now, those that have been to these “hells” tell well enough how torturous it can to spend even just a single day—the stories of how can sleep in one corner and urinate and defecate in the other corner.
President Peter Mutharika himself talked of torturous mosquitoes and how fat they can be. In fact, he told us that he thought the mosquitoes are deliberately tamed to make living hell for the inmates.
And, yet, these continue to happen—as if normal.
We, at Nyasa Times, say these unfortunate happenings must be abated. It is inhuman, and unjust. Actually, this should be talk in this era—twenty-five years after we became a democracy and in the fifty-fourth year of our independence.
At Nyasa Times, we side strongly side with Mzuzu First Grade Magistrate, Alexander Gomba, who has just ordered Mzuzu Police Officer-in-Charge to investigate into allegations that some robbery suspects in police cell were brutally assaulted by police officers.
This is a good move.
But, we would love, if all stakeholders and all Malawians follow the investigation with utmost keen interest.
We have, as a nation, already lost lives at the hands of police. Need we remind the nation of musician Evison Matafale or the brutal death of student activist Robert Chasowa?
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