Malawi: Asserting the right to legal representation...
Factual Background Mr D had been convicted of robbery after a full trial. At the time of his trial, however, he was not informed of his right to legal representation, and he further did not benefit from the offer of…
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Nigeria: Challenge to arbitrary arrest of women during sweeping exercises...
Factual Background The applicants were among 71 women who were arrested at various public spaces in Abuja between 17 and 26 April 2019. The arrests were carried out by the FCTA Joint Task Team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Securities…
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NEWS RELEASE: MALAWI HIGH COURT URGES THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR MAGISTRA...
Blantyre, Malawi – On Monday 13 May 2019, a 3-judge bench of the High Court, sitting as a Constitutional Court, handed down judgment in the case of State v Willias Daudi. On 8 August 2018, the Malawi High Court in…
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Media Advisory: Malawi High Court to Determine Constitutionality of Sweeping Exe...
Blantyre, Malawi – On Monday, the Malawi High Court, Judge Zione Ntaba, will hear a case in which the Applicants are challenging the police practice of conducting arbitrary mass arrests under the guise of crime prevention. The case is supported…
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Malawi: Challenging constitutionality of offence which criminalises poverty...
Factual Background One of the enduring legacies of colonialism in Africa is the police practice of arbitrary mass arrests. These so-called ‘sweeping’ or ‘swooping’ exercises are typically conducted by police over weekends and at night. Such sweeping exercises tend to…
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News Release: Children released from Malawi prison...
13 February 2019, Blantyre, Malawi – Following a Malawi High Court order in June 2018, Bvumbwe and Kachere Prisons have now responded to the order to release children from prison. The civil society organisations which brought the court application for…
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Media Advisory: Malawi High Court to decide on interim order preventing detentio...
Zomba, Malawi – On Wednesday 30 January 2019, the Malawi High Court, will hear argument on an interim application to prevent prisoners with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) from being returned to prison. In October 2018, the Zomba High Court granted six…
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LESOTHO: CHALLENGING POLICE TORTURE...
Factual Background The applicants were arrested by Thaba-Tseka Police in January 2018 on allegations of armed robbery. During the arrest, the applicants were assaulted and tortured to such an extent that they had to be taken to the hospital for…
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#WFD2018 Stop the Torture by Starvation in Malawi’s Prisons...
By Victor Mhango and Annabel Raw On this World Food Day, the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) call for radical and urgent reform of the prison system to stop…
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NEWS RELEASE: COURT STOPS HOSPITALS FROM RETURNING PATIENTS WITH MULTI-DRUG RESI...
ZOMBA – The Malawi High Court yesterday granted an urgent interim injunction preventing the return of six persons diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) to prison. Between August and September, six inmates from Maula and Mzimba Prisons were diagnosed with…
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Malawi: Inequality and the myth of the right to legal representation...
On 8 August 2018, the Malawi High Court in Blantyre heard a constitutional application relating to the case of State v Willias Daudi. Mr Daudi had been convicted of robbery after a full trial. At the time of his trial,…
Read More SALC STATEMENT: Mozambique detains three asylum seekers unlawfully for more than...
SALC is concerned about the prolonged unlawful detention of three asylum seekers in Chimoio, the capital city of Manica province in central Mozambique. Despite alerting the authorities including the Instituto Nacional de Apoio ao Refugiado (INAR) and the United Nations…
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