Chiefs want death penalty abolished

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Chiefs

Chiefs in Malawi are against death penalty as an appropriate punishment for people convicted of murder.

According to results of a survey on death penalty released yesterday, 94 percent of chiefs want life imprisonment as a proper punishment for a person who has been convicted of murder.

Chiefs
94 percent of chiefs want death penalty abolished. (File)

The survey was conducted by the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide and the Paralegal Advisory Service Institute (PASI) with funding from Reprieve UK.

When presenting the report in Lilongwe, PASI National Director Clifford Msiska said the survey targeted traditional leaders in the home villages of prisoners who had been sentenced to death and later released as a result of Malawi Capital Resentencing Project done by PASI and others organisations.

“In my view, prison is a place where we expect people to reform hence if somebody has been given death penalty it would defeat the purpose of reforming somebody,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Baison Kaula, a man who was released from prison through the same project said life is precious and giving a person death sentence puts a lot of people in trauma.

He went on to say that some people killed under the death penalty law were innocent though they were convicted of murder.

He then higlighted some of the challenges prisoners face.

“People spending their lives in prison are going through difficulties due to shortage of food, place to sleep and medical treatment. People are suffering in prison because they are voiceless,” he said.

Kaula who spent 23 years in jail and was acquitted by the high court added that it was like a dream that he came out of jail alive and started doing business like any other normal person.

Kaula was released after getting assistance through the Malawi Capital Resentencing Project which has assisted more than 150 people on death sentence to have their cases heard again.

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20 Comments

  1. These chiefs can not be trusted any more, they are the ones recving bribes for these albino killers to invade in our communities, no wonder they are refusing the implementation of capital punishment, but we are not worried the solution will be in our own hands now!

  2. Mafumu adyelawa? Ngati kuli zitsiru kunjaku ndi mafumu ntchito kungopondeleza anthu mmidzimu ma donation onse amatutila mmabanja mwao shupiti

  3. mmmm….
    Our Justice system favours the rich. The poor will be the ones facing the wrath of that law.
    I support the chiefs.

  4. Catholic priests fueling albinos killings in Malawi, please say no to Catholic religion to save albinos. And say no to Catholics too. Death penalty for Catholics who are busy killing innocent people with albinism.

    1. asilamu kuphana okhaokha ku sudan ndikumaiko a aluya..mpingo wanji osetara dzanja lokudyetsa? umve anthu osadya nkhumba inu

  5. Have these chiefs consulted their subjects? I am for death penalty and I have not heard anything from my chief about the subject matter.

  6. Contrary to their opinions
    Many Malawians want to see the implementation of death penalty
    Particularly for those who have been accused of killing Albinos

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