Zimbabwe will release hundreds of prisoners under a presidential amnesty aimed at easing congestion in the country’s overcrowded jails.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been given the green light by Cabinet to exercise the power of mercy and pardon dozens of persons convicted for an offence against the law.
Cabinet said the rationale behind the proposal is to decongest prisons, whose population as at 29th August, 2022 stood at 22 114, against an official holding capacity of 17 000 inmates.
“This situation means that 4 798 inmates do not have adequate floor space as required by the Constitution, and this compromises the health of inmates, among other challenges,” Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday.
Excluded from amnesty are prisoners convicted for murder, treason, rape or any sexual offence, carjacking and armed robbery.
The Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services are perennially underfunded and have over years failed to meet United Nations’ minimum health requirement for prisoners.
