As many as
1,000 prisoners in Swaziland / eSwatini could be released from jail before the
end of their sentences because the government cannot afford to keep them locked
up.
The move
follows reports that His Majesty’s Correctional Services that run jails in the
kingdom could not afford to feed all inmates. Electricity has been cut off
because of unpaid bills and water has been rationed.
The Swazi Observer,
a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III who rules Swaziland as an
absolute monarch, reported on Wednesday (13 March 2019) that between 600 and
1,000 inmates could be released.
According to official figures
from Swaziland published by World Prison
Brief, Institute for Criminal Policy Research, as of March 2015 the prison
population in Swaziland (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) was 3,610.
The Observer reported Correctional Services Deputy Public Relations
Officer Mandla Sibiya saying special boards would meet to decide who could be
freed before the end of their sentences.
The newspaper reported Sibiya said through these early releases the Correctional
Services ‘would save a lot of money that was otherwise spent on food and
utilities’.
Swaziland is broke and
public services across the kingdom have been cut. Children are going hungry at
because school feeding programs financed by the government have run out of
money.
In February 2019 it was
reported food had run out at Hlatikhulu Government Hospital and patients were fed thin porridge. Previously,
it was reported Mbabane Government Hospital had run out of food because of
unpaid bills and patients only had apples and juice.
Health services across Swaziland are in crisis. In
September 2018 it was reported at least six
children in Swaziland had died from diarrhoea and many more were sick
because the government was broke and could not pay for vaccines. It would cost
US$6 for the vaccine to immunise a child.
See also
Children
at risk of food poisoning as Swaziland Govt’s financial crisis continues
Probe
into ‘inhumane’ jail conditions
No comments:
Post a Comment