The Youth and Society (YAS) has turned up the heat on the Malawi Prison Service, demanding full disclosure of the identities and profiles of 21 inmates recently pardoned by President Lazarus Chakwera as part of the Easter clemency exercise.
In a stinging letter that landed on the Commissioner General’s desk this week, YAS questioned why the names of the released prisoners are being kept under wraps — a move the watchdog says “smells of secrecy and selective justice.”
“Presidential pardons are public acts, not private favours. The public deserves to know who’s been freed, for what crimes, and why,” said YAS Executive Director Charles Kajoloweka in the letter, which has also been copied to the Ministry of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Malawi Prison Service has remained tight-lipped since the pardons were announced. National prisons spokesperson Steve Meke refused to name the beneficiaries, only confirming that the prisoners had met pardon guidelines and appealed to the public to give them a second chance.
But YAS isn’t buying it.
“When you deny people access to this information, you’re not protecting privacy — you’re protecting secrecy,” Kajoloweka said in an interview. “This creates fertile ground for suspicion, corruption, and political favouritism.”
The organisation has given the Malawi Prison Service 15 working days to cough up the names, crimes, original sentences, and the amount of time served by the released inmates — or face legal action.
The Easter clemency saw 21 prisoners walk free and a blanket six-month sentence reduction granted to others — except for those convicted of violent or serious crimes such as murder, rape, defilement, and offences against people with disabilities and albinism.
But civil society actors say this good gesture must go hand in hand with transparency.
Michael Kaiyatsa from the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) warned that such secrecy could mask “political pardon shopping.”
“In the past, the pardon process has favoured the well-connected. Without transparency, there’s no way to tell if this was any different,” he said.
Victor Mhango of CHREAA called the clemency a welcome move but echoed the need for broader justice reforms — and accountability in how pardons are granted.
The letter from YAS also invokes Malawi’s Access to Information Act and constitutional guarantees, noting that past governments made names of pardoned inmates public, as a matter of accountability.
Malawi’s prisons remain scandalously overcrowded, with over 17,000 inmates crammed into cells built for just 8,000. The landmark Gable Masangano Constitutional Court ruling of 2009 declared this overcrowding inhumane and ordered reforms.
While presidential pardons offer some relief, watchdogs like YAS insist they must not be used to cover up backdoor deals.
“The fight for justice doesn’t end at the prison gate. It begins with the truth,” said Kajoloweka. Who’s Being Pardoned… and Why the Secrecy? YAS Demands Answers on Chakwera’s Easter Clemency List
The Youth and Society (YAS) has turned up the heat on the Malawi Prison Service, demanding full disclosure of the identities and profiles of 21 inmates recently pardoned by President Lazarus Chakwera as part of the Easter clemency exercise.
In a stinging letter that landed on the Commissioner General’s desk this week, YAS questioned why the names of the released prisoners are being kept under wraps — a move the watchdog says “smells of secrecy and selective justice.”
“Presidential pardons are public acts, not private favours. The public deserves to know who’s been freed, for what crimes, and why,” said YAS Executive Director Charles Kajoloweka in the letter, which has also been copied to the Ministry of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Malawi Prison Service has remained tight-lipped since the pardons were announced. National prisons spokesperson Steve Meke refused to name the beneficiaries, only confirming that the prisoners had met pardon guidelines and appealed to the public to give them a second chance.
But YAS isn’t buying it.
“When you deny people access to this information, you’re not protecting privacy — you’re protecting secrecy,” Kajoloweka said in an interview. “This creates fertile ground for suspicion, corruption, and political favouritism.”
The organisation has given the Malawi Prison Service 15 working days to cough up the names, crimes, original sentences, and the amount of time served by the released inmates — or face legal action.
The Easter clemency saw 21 prisoners walk free and a blanket six-month sentence reduction granted to others — except for those convicted of violent or serious crimes such as murder, rape, defilement, and offences against people with disabilities and albinism.
But civil society actors say this good gesture must go hand in hand with transparency.
Michael Kaiyatsa from the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) warned that such secrecy could mask “political pardon shopping.”
“In the past, the pardon process has favoured the well-connected. Without transparency, there’s no way to tell if this was any different,” he said.
Victor Mhango of CHREAA called the clemency a welcome move but echoed the need for broader justice reforms — and accountability in how pardons are granted.
The letter from YAS also invokes Malawi’s Access to Information Act and constitutional guarantees, noting that past governments made names of pardoned inmates public, as a matter of accountability.
Malawi’s prisons remain scandalously overcrowded, with over 17,000 inmates crammed into cells built for just 8,000. The landmark Gable Masangano Constitutional Court ruling of 2009 declared this overcrowding inhumane and ordered reforms.
While presidential pardons offer some relief, watchdogs like YAS insist they must not be used to cover up backdoor deals.
“The fight for justice doesn’t end at the prison gate. It begins with the truth,” said Kajoloweka.
