Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Malawi are raising concerns over the recent presidential pardon of Yunhua Lin, a Chinese national convicted of multiple wildlife trafficking offenses.
Lin was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2021 for the possession and trafficking of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, hippo teeth, and rhino horn. However, reports indicate that Lin has been pardoned by President Lazarus Chakwera.
The pardon, which was granted in a secretive process, has sparked controversy and raised suspicions around the decision-making process. The CSOs are calling for greater transparency and scrutiny in the pardon process, particularly for serious offenses like wildlife crimes.
They argue that pardoning individuals convicted of wildlife crimes undermines the country’s efforts in wildlife conservation, weakens the enforcement of environmental laws, and damages Malawi’s international reputation.
“Wildlife crimes are not petty offenses—they are serious, often transnational crimes that threaten biodiversity, national security, and economic sectors critical to the Malawi Vision 2063, including agriculture, tourism, and mining.
“Treating these crimes with leniency not only undermines the enforcement of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, which prescribes penalties of up to 30 years in prison, but also breaches Malawi’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the country is a signatory,” reads the statement.
The CSOs are urging President Chakwera to take immediate action to address these concerns, saying such actions risk damaging Malawi’s international reputation and weakening the global fight against wildlife trafficking.
“Pardoning individuals convicted of wildlife crimes sets a dangerous precedent, risks the erosion of environmental rule of law, and undermines public and donor trust in justice and conservation systems,” added the CSOs.
Specifically, they are calling on the President to exclude wildlife crimes from all future presidential pardons, operationalize a task force to enforce environmental laws, ensure full transparency in the pardon process, and consider reversing the pardon granted to Lin.
Additionally, they urge the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to pursue all pending charges against Lin without interference, ensuring that due process is followed and justice is not compromised.
The CSOs include: Coordination Union for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE), Movement for Environmental Action, Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA), Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM), Youth and Society (YA), The Association of Environmental Journalists in Malawi (AEJ), National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC) and Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC).
