President Mnangagwa grants amnesty to prisoners

Harare, (New Ziana)-President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday granted amnesty to convicted prisoners in terms of his annual clemency order, which is aimed at decongesting the country’s correctional facilities.

Last year, President Mnangagwa released 4 270 prisoners on amnesty.

In a notice published in the Government Gazette, Clemency Order ANumber 1 of 2024 seeks to release all convicted female inmates, juveniles, prisoners sentenced to 48 months and below, those in open prisons, prisoners aged 60 years and above, prisoners with disabilities, while prisoners who have been on death roll for 10 years and above will have their sentences remitted to life imprisonment.

“It is hereby notified that His Excellency the President has, in terms of section 112(1) (a) and (d) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, made the order set out in the Schedule. This order may be cited as Clemency Order No. 1 of 2024,” said Justice for Justice and Legal Affairs Vimbai Nyemba in the Gazette.

Nyemba said an additional one-quarter remission of the effective term of imprisonment will be granted to those who were sentenced to more than 48 months and who would have served one third of their sentence by 18th April, 2024, including those with specified offences.

The specified offences include murder, treason, rape or any sexual offence, carjacking, robbery, public violence, human trafficking, unlawful possession of firearms, contravention of the Electricity and Telecommunications Acts, as well as contravention of the Public Order and Security Act/ Maintenance of Peace and Order Act.

Inmates to be excluded from the proposed general amnesty include any inmate who was previously released on amnesty, any inmate serving a sentence imposed by Court Martial and any inmate who has a record of escaping from lawful custody.

New Ziana