Mugabe announced the pardon through a government notice on Monday,
without stating a reason for the move, and the release of prisoners
started on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace greet supporters
of his ZANU (PF) party during the "One Million Man March", a show of
support of Mugabe's rule in Harare, Zimbabwe, May 25, 2016
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
has granted amnesty to all female prisoners except those on death row
or serving life sentences, as prisons struggle to feed inmates due to
lack of funding from the government.
Five
prisoners died in March 2015 after being shot by police in a protest
over food shortages, which turned violent as some of them attempted to
break out of jail.
Mugabe announced the pardon
through a government notice on Monday, without stating a reason for the
move, and the release of prisoners started on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services spokeswoman Priscilla Mthembo
said on Thursday there were 580 female inmates across the country's 46
prisons, and those eligible would be set free. At the country's top
security jail in Harare, two female prisoners serving life sentences
remained after the amnesty, while vetting was ongoing at other prisons.
In
all, Mthembo said more than 2,000 prisoners would benefit from Mugabe's
pardon. These included all juveniles, irrespective of their crimes, as
well as some men not serving time for serious crimes like murder, armed
robbery, treason, rape or carjacking.
Zimbabwe's
prisons hold 20,000 inmates, more than their capacity of 17,000, causing
congestion and shortages of everything from food to uniforms.
Under
the constitution of the Southern African nation, Mugabe, who routinely
pardons prisoners, is required to consult his cabinet on all amnesties.
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