Tagged:

Zimbabwe Begins Mass Prisoner Release Under Presidential Clemency

Thousands of prisoners across the country are regaining their freedom after President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa granted an amnesty aimed at easing overcrowding and supporting rehabilitation.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said that 4,305 inmates qualified for release, including women convicted of lesser offences, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates, and those with disabilities. Prisoners housed in Open Prisons and inmates who have served at least 20 years of their sentences, including those whose death penalties were previously commuted, also qualify under the clemency order.

 Ziyambi said that individuals convicted of grave offences, including murder, armed robbery, rape, treason, human trafficking, and public violence, are excluded from the amnesty. The government says the clemency initiative is intended to transform correctional facilities into centres of rehabilitation while giving reformed offenders a second chance to rebuild their lives.

InFocus

New Zimbabwe

First batch of inmates released under Presidential Amnesty.

Follow AllAfrica

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.