By JAMES KUNDA –
PRESIDENT Michael Sata has pardoned 975 inmates to mark Zambia’s Independence Golden Jubilee today.
This is in exercising the powers vested in him by Article 59 of the Constitution of Zambia which empowers the Republican President to exercise prerogative of mercy.
Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula said in a statement yesterday that this was the second largest number of inmates released on Presidential amnesty in the history of Zambia after more than 2,318 were released in 2012.
“The conditions in the prisons have always been a concern of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, and this move is in line with the Patriotic Front manifesto of turning the prisons into correctional facilities,” Dr Simbyakula said.
“Therefore, my appeal to the community is not to discriminate but to accept and embrace ex-inmates. This will help them reintegrate well in society, and in turn reduce re-offending,” he said.