Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pardoned hundreds of female inmates and those suffering from terminal illnesses and living with disabilities in an Independence Day gesture meant to decongest the country’s prisons.
Zimbabwe celebrated the 44th anniversary of its independence from colonial rule on Thursday with various activities planned in all the country’s 10 provinces.
In a gesture meant to commemorate the advent of self-rule, Mnangagwa announced in a notice on Wednesday that he was granting full remission of sentence for convicted female inmates, terminally-ill and prisoners living with disabilities who have served a third of their sentences.
“A full remission of the remaining period of imprisonment is hereby granted to all convicted female inmates, save for those convicted of specified offences. The inmate should have served one third (1/3) of the sentence by 18th April, 2024,” read part of the notice.
The remission applies to female prisoners, inmates under 18, prisoners sentenced to 48 months and below, terminally-ill inmates, inmates at Open Prisons, prisoners who are 60 years and above who have served a tenth of their sentence.
The order also releases prisoners who have served life imprisonment for 20 years and inmates with disabilities.
It, however, excludes those convicted of offences such as murder, terrorism and rape, carjacking, robbery, public violence, human trafficking and unlawful possession of firearms.
The move is expected to decongest the country’s more than 50 detention centres, which have capacity for about 17,000 prisoners but held more than 20,000 before the amnesty.
JN/APA