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Farirai Machivenyika

President Mnangagwa has granted amnesty to various categories of prisoners under Clemency Order Number 1 of 2024 published in an Extraordinary Gazette on Monday.

The President also commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment to all inmates who have been on death roll for 10 years and above.

The announcement was made by Mrs Vimbai Nyemba, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in General Notice 467 of 2024 and qualifying inmates are expected to be released from the country’s prisons beginning this Wednesday.

Beneficiaries of the amnesty include all female inmates who have served one third of their sentence by April 18, excluding those serving time for specified offences and those who have previously been released on amnesty.

Specified offences are murder, treason, rape or any sexual offence, carjacking, robbery, public violence, human trafficking, unlawful possession of firearms, contravention of the Electricity Act, contravention of the Postal and Telecommunications Act, contravention of the Public Order and Security Act/ Maintenance of Peace and Order Act and any conspiracy, incitement or attempt to commit any of the offences listed above.

Inmates under the age of 18 will also benefit if they have served one third of their sentence by April 18 but those charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act are excluded from this Amnesty.

Prisoners serving an effective period of 48 months and below who would have served one third of their sentence by April 18, provided they are not convicted for specified offences, will also benefit.

The President also pardoned inmates certified terminally ill by a Correctional Medical Officer or a Government Medical Officer (GMO) with the Department of Correctional Services required to liaise with Social Welfare so that there is continuity of treatment after release.

However, those charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act are excluded from the Amnesty.

Inmates who are certified by a Correctional Medical Officer or a Government Medical Officer to be visually impaired, and those who are physically challenged to the extent that they cannot be catered for in a Prison or Correctional environment and have served one third of their sentence by April 18 will also be pardoned.

Those serving their sentences at open prisons provided they were not charged under the Criminal Code will also be released while those above 60 years will also benefit if they have served one tenth of their sentence by April 18, and were not charged under the same law.

“Full remission of the remaining period is hereby granted to all those inmates who would have served life imprisonment for at least 20 years. This includes inmates sentenced to life imprisonment, inmates whose sentences were commuted from death to life imprisonment.

“In this case, the period of 20 years will include the period when the inmate was serving as a prisoner under sentence of death and inmates whose sentences were altered to life imprisonment on appeal or review,” reads part of the Clemency Order.