President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi marked the recent 59th Independence Day with a significant gesture by granting pardons to prisoners. This act reached its pinnacle as a total of 2,298 prisoners were granted clemency. The authority for such pardons is derived from Section 89 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, which empowers the president to pardon prisoners.
According to a statement issued by Secretary for Homeland Security Oliver Kumbambe on July 5, 2023, the individuals who received pardons included those who had served at least half of their sentences, elderly prisoners, chronically ill inmates, and female convicts accompanied by their children during their time in prison. The statement emphasized that the pardoned prisoners had met the guidelines for the granting of pardons and had displayed exemplary behavioral reform throughout their incarceration.
The statement further described President Chakwera’s decision to pardon 2,298 convicted prisoners as an act of mercy during the commemoration of the 59th Independence Anniversary.
