The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has obtained an injunction restraining President Peter Mutharika’s administration from instituting a lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda granted the injunction to the rights group on Friday.
The injunction will be in effect for the next seven days. An inter-partes hearing will be held on the matter after which the court will decide on whether the injunction should still be valid.
“The court has granted leave for review of the decision made by the executive that there should be a lockdown in view of the coronavirus and apart from granting the leave the court also gave an order of injunction,” Judiciary spokesperson Agnes Patemba told the local media.
Malawi has recorded 17 cases and on Tuesday government announced the decision to lock down the country in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
On Thursday, HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence urged government to first introduce measures to protect Malawians before locking down the country.
