After President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration defied the specifics of its own clemency decision and released hundreds of convicts, including dangerous convicted rapists, rights organizations in Zimbabwe are outraged.

According to a government clemency order given prior to the pardons, lawyers and rights organizations claim people convicted of rape should not have been freed since their crimes are classed as “specified,” which do not qualify for presidential pardons.

In a move to relieve the pressure on the nation’s 47 prisons, Mnangagwa this week ordered the release of 4,270 prisoners.

A local television interview with four recently released prisoners who said they had been serving terms for rape or statutory rape outraged women’s and children’s advocacy organizations in particular.

‘Reopened’ wounds

Pamellah Musimwa of Justice for Children said in an interview that anyone found guilty of rape or statutory rape should not be eligible for pardons and should be made to carry out the whole of their sentences.

She told VOA, “It is very worrying that rape and other sexual offense convicts were also released through the amnesty.” “These crimes have traumatized and shocked the survivors, who at least felt secure when the accused was found guilty and sentenced to jail.

“Their wounds, which were probably healing because of the sentence, are now being reopened,” she said. “They now have to communicate with criminals who have no remorse. In addition to having an impact on the survivor, the release of the prisoners tends to minimize the crimes.

She said that the freed rapists boasted about their freedom throughout the interview.

“Have we done well as a nation? Are we arguing that the crime of rape has become so minor that the offenders might be let go without completing their full sentences? Musimwa said that she was concerned that the freed convicts may retaliate. I believe that these people’s release poses a risk to the wellbeing of child abuse survivors, their loved ones, and even to those who have not experienced abuse.

Mnangagwa’s spokesperson requested that the Ministry of Justice respond to VOA’s request for remark.

Virginia Mabiza, the secretary of justice, briefly spoke on the phone with VOA and said that rapists should not have been granted parole before the connection suddenly ended. There were many failed efforts to return to Mabiza.

The premature release of sexual offenders in Zimbabwe, according to Equality Now, a different child rights organization, threatened public safety, denied survivors the closure they needed, and reduced trust in the criminal justice system.

According to Jean-Paul Murunga of Equality Now, “Zimbabwe has relegated the rights of women and girls and thus exposes them to further violation” by releasing criminals convicted of sexual assaults. “Therefore, we demand that the ruling be immediately reversed. To guarantee that such [a] release does not occur again in the future, we also urge for the efficient execution of legislation against sexual assault, including the correct implementation of a sexual offenders registry.

Prematurely releasing those found guilty of rape and gender-based violence conveys the “chilling message that these violations are not taken seriously,” he added.

According to Kenyan-born Murunga, “Granting early release disregards the seriousness of the crimes and undermines the rule of law and the faith that victims and the general public have in the legal system.”

The mercy ruling under which the prisoners were freed does not permit rapists to remain on parole, according to Musimwa of Justice for Children.

earlier releases

According to the state-run Herald, the late Robert Mugabe pardoned hundreds of prisoners in 2016 to create space in the nation’s overcrowded, cash- and resource-strapped jails.

According to then-Vice President Mnangagwa, the decision was made in response to a prison riot in March 2015 over food shortages that descended into violence as some inmates tried to escape from custody. Five prisoners died as a consequence of police shootings during the demonstrations.

Mnangagwa, as president, released 3,000 prisoners in 2018 to reduce congestion. The 2016 and 2018 pardons did not include people found guilty of murder, treason, rape, or armed robbery.

Reuters provided some of the information for this story.