By Burnett Munthali
A chilling new report by the state-funded Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has revealed horrific conditions at Mikuyu Prison in Zomba, painting a grim picture of torture, starvation, and death.
According to the MHRC findings, at least ten inmates have died at the facility due to extreme physical torture.
One of the most shocking revelations in the report is that some inmates had their private parts burned as part of the torture they endured.
These inmates, after succumbing to the abuse, were allegedly buried in secret on nearby farms, without the knowledge or consent of their families.
The report further indicates that an estimated one hundred more inmates are on the brink of death due to starvation.
Food shortages have reached such a critical level that hunger itself is already killing inmates inside the prison.
Mikuyu Prison, once notorious as a torture and death chamber during the one-party dictatorship era, appears to be relapsing into its dark past.
The findings by MHRC have raised serious questions about human rights violations within Malawi’s correctional system.
Concerns are now growing that the prison system is being neglected to the point of systemic cruelty.
Human rights advocates have begun to call for immediate action from the government and justice authorities to investigate the deaths and prosecute those responsible.
The revelations are also expected to reignite national and international attention on the state of Malawi’s prisons, particularly their alignment with constitutional and human rights obligations.
The MHRC has urged authorities to act swiftly to save the lives of those still suffering at Mikuyu and to ensure that prisons uphold human dignity.
