Wandale wants prison boss, AG arrested

President for People’s Land Organization (PLO) Vincent Wandale has demanded the arrests of commissioners for Malawi Prison Service and Malawi Police and the country’s Attorney General (AG) for contempt of court.

Wandale wants Chief Commissioner of Prisons, police commissioner for southern region Demster Chigwenembe and Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale to be nabbed for ignoring a court order to improve conditions of prisons in the country.

Wandale said it is very worrisome that the three have totally done nothing on the case in which late Gebo Masangani won against the government on poor conditions in most Malawi prisons.

After Masangani won the case, the court ordered government to improve prison conditions. But up to date authorities have done nothing a development that has led to Wandale’s calling for the arrest of the three officials responsible for the matter.

Speaking after being released from prison following judgement on his land case, Wandale said inmates are suffering a lot in prisons.

“Life is too hard in the country’s prison, things are not good and I have witnessed this myself. People in prison could not eat well nor sleeping due to poor conditions in there. Inmates could go far as two days without eating something.

“Sometime back government was ordered to consider improving conditions in prison but up to date nothing has happened and therefore I could be grateful if the attorney General, police commissioner and prison commissioner could be arrested for contempt of court,” said Wandale.

He disclosed that he has since collaborated with other concerned individuals to form an organization called Prisoners Visitor Trust which aims at speaking for voiceless prisoners whose rights are being violated.