Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says its monitoring exercises on the welfare of detainees conducted across the country over several years have revealed the existence of torture in prisons.
MHRC Commissioner Tereza Ndanga, disclosed this in Blantyre today as the commission has embarked on training police officers and prison warders on the need to respect the rights of detainees in both police and prison cells.
One of the facilitators of the training, Vincent Silungwe, a Legal Officer for the Malawi Prison Service, said the training will enhance the officers’ knowledge in handling issues regarding detainees.
He said the lack of interviewing skills deters a fair trial.
Prescort Zuze Mwayiulipo, the Head of Prosecutions in the Malawi Police Service, said the training is an eye-opener.
Mwayiulipo said the police should refrain from using torture as a way of conducting investigations.
The trainings, which are being supported by the Irish Rule of Law International, target Investigators, Prosecutors and Prison Warders from the South and Northern Regions of Malawi.
By Charles Pensulo
