Chakwera pardons 156 prisoners
A total 156 prisoners will celebrate Malawi’s 57th independence outside prison after being pardoned by the country’s Head of State, Lazarus Chakwera.
It has been common practice for heads of state in Malawi just like other countries to pardon some convicts during Christmas and Independence celebrations.
Minister of Homeland Security, Richard Chimwendo Banda, has confirmed the pardoning of the 156 prisoners, saying good behaviour, seriousness of the crime committed and time served are some of the factors considered when pardoning the convicts.
Chimwendo Banda added that most of the pardoned prisoners are those whose sentences were coming to an end.
Last year, President Chakwera pardoned 551 inmates, 52 during Christmas and 499 in August to decongest prisons in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A single Malawi prison holds up to 14,000 inmates which is almost triple the recommended capacity of 5,000 prisoners.
“I thank God I am out of prison. That is not a good place but one finds oneself in that world not out of wish.
“It is however good to reform when out of that place,” remarked one pardoned convict who did not want to be named.
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