The Malawi Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA), the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), Reprieve and Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) submit information to the Human Rights Committee (HRC) for the drafting of the list of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR) ahead of the upcoming review by the HRC of Malawi.
The submission highlights the issues of: the permissive legislative framework with regards to both forced confessions and the death penalty, torture carried out by the police officers (to include sexual assault), extra-judicial killings, illegal pre-trial detention, lack of accountability for police officers and the equal treatment of LGBTQI+ persons. It also speaks to the problem of overcrowding in prisons, lack of adequate nutrition for inmates, inadequate treatment for inmates with mental illness. These concerns are reflected in a series of individual complaints expounded in the various sections below. Recommendations are made for Malawi to improve the system and ensure that the country lives up to its obligations prescribed under the ICCPR.
Read the full submission here.