Punished for parents’ ‘sins’

From Wednesday, Maula Prison in Lilongwe is holding 117 children among 408 refugees rounded up in a crackdown on illegal immigrants, raising concerns among rights activists of inhumane treatment of the vulnerable group

Malawi Government launched the operation on Wednesday to smoke out refugees or asylum seekers without valid documentation, but residing in cities and towns outside the designated Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District.

Ministry of Homeland Security spokesperson Peter Botha in an interview yesterday said the people were arrested regardless of whether they had papers.

He confirmed that out of the 408 suspects, 117 are children, 202 are men and 89 are women.

Botha said some of the detained may have had valid permits, but the operation did not allow time for verification.

He said: “People must understand that this was an operation and not a meet and greet. Of course, our officers had to engage and explain to the people what the operation was about. For us, Maula was the only safe place where we could do the screening to separate those with valid documents from those without.”

Meanwhile, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) director of civil and political rights Peter Chisi in an interview yesterday said it was shocking that authorities detained the suspects and chose to use Maula Prison for the screening process.

He said: “This is a serious anomaly. They did not have to keep children in prison. It is against the law and the stipulation on the convention to the right of children.

“But even the adults were not supposed to be there. You should only be taken to prison after a court order. We are investigating this and we may have to take legal action, otherwise this is unacceptable.”

Chisi also expressed disappointment that the commission was denied access to the detainees at Maula Prison, saying this was unlawful.

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), which issued a statement condemning the operation, also expressed shock at how children ended up victimised in the process.

HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence said the action sends a wrong message to the international community on human rights.

He said: “We have people in there with valid papers, but ended up being arrested. Children, too, have been victimised. We feel government needs to reconsider its position and release these people as soon as possible.

“This is a rushed process and we condemn the government for the manner it has carried out the exercise. It appears this government is quite emotional and it is sending a wrong message on matters of human rights. Refugees too have rights and that has to be respected.”

Responding to MHRC concerns, Botha said they are not surprised with the commission’s sentiments because it already took a position not to have the illegal immigrants flushed out of cities.

He insisted the screening process at Maula Prison was to separate those with papers from illegal immigrants, adding there were others with valid business resident permits and permanent resident permits.

“ T h o s e w i t h v a l i d documents will be released back into the community. Asylum seekers will be sent back to Dzaleka Refugee Camp but people without any documentation will be deported,” Botha said.

During a visit to Maula Prison yesterday, The Nation found scores of people from the affected communities seeking to check on their detained relations. There were also members of the diplomatic community, notably officers from Unicef and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR).

In an interview outside the prison, chairperson of the Rwandan Community in Malawi, Ephraim Mugisha, said the operation needed to separate those with legitimate documents from illegal immigrants before detaining them.

Refugee rights advocate Innocent Magambi, who was seen providing food to detainees yesterday, said it was sad that the authorities were harsh in their conduct.

“If only they had asked for documents, these should have been provided. They did not have to arrest everyone, especially children. Looking at prison conditions, we are really worried about what has happened. Hopefully, they will be released as soon as possible,” he lamented.