800 prisoners freed in Harare

Representation pic

Zimbabwe has begun releasing more than 4,000 prisoners under a presidential amnesty that authorities say will help ease congestion in some overcrowded jails.

About 800 prisoners were released Friday from the Central Prison and Chikurubi Maximum Prison in the capital, Harare.

Jails in other parts of the country began releasing prisoners who qualified for the amnesty on Thursday, said Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services spokeswoman Meya Khanyezi.

She said the amnesty would "go a long way in reducing the prison population." Zimbabwe's prisons have a capacity of 17,000 but hold more than 20,000 inmates.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever