Lawyers move to make headway with inquiry into accusations of police abuses during post-election violence.
Written by Charles Pensulo in Lilongwe, The Guardian
A group of lawyers in Malawi is taking legal action against the police for failing to investigate allegations of rape against their officers during post-election protests.
Mphatso Iphani, a spokesperson for the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, said that three months since the alleged attacks, “no concrete action has been taken, despite the sheer amount of evidence that the girls and women were assaulted”.
The association, a not-for-profit organisation made up of lawyers from different disciplines, is preparing to file lawsuits against officers.
“Our hope is to get justice for the women who were assaulted and punish the perpetrators. Finally, something concrete is happening, unlike with the other stakeholders who have been just sitting on this,” she said.
