Video clip shows Malawi Prison warders brutalise prisoners: One died

It has emerged that prison wardens brutally assaulted two inmates that escaped from Chichiri prison in January to the point that one dies and the other was on the brink of death and needed urgent medical attention.

An amateur video taken from a mobile phone seen by Nyasa Times shows  prison warders with attacking Madison John (from Nchima village ,TA Nsamala Balaka)  and  John Emmanuel (from Chapala village, TA Kasisi Chikwawa) at Chitawira Township; dragging them to the road , kicking them mercilessly.

They faced s several blows to the head, deforming their face, kicks in the abdomen and the head.

When contacted for an official version of what had transpired, Malawi Prison Service spokesman John  Mpopo, while confirming a prisoner had indeed died while attempting to flee, denied suggestions that he was beaten by warder

Mpopo claimed the inmates were assaulted by civilians in Chitawira who captured them when they were on the run.

He suggests the runaway deceased inmate tumbled to his death as he tried to run from the civilians who had captured him.

But the video shows civilians watching prison warders brutally assaulting the two when they were recaptured.

The two escapees had been convicted of house breaking and armed robbery, both serious crimes in Malawi and ineligible for pardon.

Chitawira residents who witnessed the attack by prison warders have been texting Nyasa Times recounting the events that led to the inmate’s death.

“The prison warders were beating the escapees especially the one who died suffered several attacks on his head,” texted one.

Another inmate corroborated this line of events.

He texted in Chichewa, Malawi’s lingua franca, that one inmate has been severely beaten after he had already been recaptured.

They both separately claimed they witnessed warders beating the inmates.