Attorney General says govt will comply with court ruling on Msundwe: Cops arrest looming
Attorney General Dr Chikosa Silungwe has said government will comply with the High Court determination that 18 Msudwe women who were victims of sexual violence and rape in Lilongwe should be compensated for the heinous acts allegedly suffered at the hands of Malawi Police officers.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda in a ruling championed by Women Lawyers Association also ordered that there should be arrest and prosecution of the 17 implicated law enforcers within 30 days.
“We will simply comply, and make sure that the Inspector General of Police also complies with the determination,” said Attorney General.
Determined Justice Nyirenda: “I have considered the respective submissions. In the premises, Relief No. 18 [compensation] is granted. In this regard, I direct that the issue of assessment of compensation payable to all the applicants be dealt with by the registrar. This has to be done within 21 days of the date hereof.”
Judge Nyirenda blames the former Inspector General of Police Duncan Mwapasa for failing to conduct prompt, proper effective and professional investigations into the complaints of rape and sexual assault and further blaming that office for failing to arrest the officers.
During the 2019 post-election unrest, demonstrators set up roadblocks in the capital, which led to the deployment of the police. In the pandemonium that followed, a police officer Usumani Imedi was killed in Msundwe. Security officers stormed the area the following day, spraying teargas and attacking the public.
The NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) documented accounts from women and self-boarding girl students who said they had been sexually assaulted by police officers.
The alleged assaults were also outlined in a 62-page report released December 18, 2019 by Malawi’s Ombudsman Martha Chizuma and Law Commissioner Rosemary Kanyuka.
Chizuma said the investigation, carried out under Malawi’s Human Rights Commission (MHRC), uncovered evidence of the rapes.
“We found out that a total of 17 women were sexually violated,” Chizuma said. “Five of them were under 18. One of the five girls was actually defiled. Eight women were raped. The rest, police found them doing their menses so were just violently beaten.”
Chizuma said the alleged police assaults appeared to be in revenge for the stoning death of a fellow police officer by election protesters. The report identified suspected officers who were posted to the areas where the assaults occurred.
Commenting on the ruling by Justice Nyirenda on her social media page, Ombudsman Martha Chizuma, said: “The High Court judgement ordering for the women and girls raped and defiled by ‘police’ last October is to me one of the greatest rebuke to sexual harassment against women and impunity by some public officers in Malawi.
“Are we there yet? No. Are we on the right path? Definitely Yes!”
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What type of law application is this? No police officer has been convicted in a court of law for rape or defilement. Yet, you are ordering compensation for the alleged victims. Suppose all the suspects are acquitted by the court…remember, they are all innocent until proven guilty. I’m surprised that even the much respected AG, Chikosa Silungwe cannot see this reasoning.
Are you setting the climate to make sure that the officers are found guilty even if the evidence will not be sufficient? I smell a “Kangaroo Court” Session in all this?
kodi mavala condom kapena
plain
the best was kuti ma police amene ananyenga azikazi anzawowo ifenso tikanyenge azikazao titi for tat
What about Imedi murderers? Rape was not the only crime committed at Nsundwe. A great Cop lost his life there. Let justice prevail. Justice for all. Selective justice is justice denied.
Selective justice what about victims of the demos?
Iwe Silungwe; this is NOT your money for you to say that govt. will comply. Have you gotten my permission kuti utenge msonkho wanga kudzilipira nokha ndi anthu amene mukufuna kuwalipirawo.??? I cry for my tax and my country.
Koma misonkho yathu ikudyedwa osati masewela.
If my tax remittance to Government was voluntarily paid. I would never do it. Misonkho yathu, our hard earned money is being plundered recklessly. There should be stop once and for all to this nuisance. I propose kuti mudzikatenga ma compensation amenewa from those that committed these offences; ngakhale kuwalanda nkhuku zawo kapena katundu yense wa abale awo. Zidzasiyika izi .
Kunena kopepera coz those who were raped are not your sisters,mom and aunties etc.Kumaganiza mmutumo nthawi zina when commenting.The police were part of the government and we must blame the former IG Mwapasa for his partisan role he played during demos otherwise these could have been avoidable.
Anthuwo alipidwe koma not from my tax. Alipidwe kuchokera kwa anthu a Police omwe anawapanga chipongwewo; otherwise this habit kuti anthu adzipanga ma mistake and boma nde lindilipira will continue unabated. Izi ayi