LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Eight people are reportedly to have died in police custody due to brutality according to a Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) Report.
MHRC Director for Civil and Political Rights, Peter Chisi disclosed this on Friday, August 2, 2024 in an engagement with the Parliamentary Committee on Defense, the commission, and Malawi Police Service (MPS).
Chisi said Malawi continues to register cases of torture and inhumane or degrading treatment in police stations.
He said between 2021 to 2024 the commission registered 73 cases of torture in police custody,8 deaths in police custody, and 10 cases on other rights of detained persons.
“Reported methods of torture include beatings, prolonged detention without charge, and negligence of taking the detained for medical care in some instances,” said Chisi.
He adds that torture must be criminalized to deter police from acting with impunity.
Concurring with MHRC, the independent Complaints Commission(ICC) Commissioner, Christopher Tukula said there is a tendency to protect each other or conceal information among officers in line with custody brutality, and very few officers in charge report custody deaths or injuries.
Tukula said the commission has started engaging the leadership of police to end the malpractice of shielding police officers who are at fault.
Deputy Inspector General (IG) of Police, Happy Mkandawire said the service needs time to look at the presentation and come back to the committee with feedback.
“We were not served with the presentation in advance and we need to have time to respond on the matter,” said Mkandawire.
Chairperson for the committee, Salim Bagus said the committee will summon the three organizations to map the way forward on police brutality that is happening country-wide.
Bagus said the committee has asked the police to come up with clear answers to the reports that have been presented by the two human rights organizations.
