Malawi: Malawi Police and Prison Officers Urged to Abandon Torture Tactics in Interrogations

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Nyasa Times report dated 29 July 2026, reported that the Malawi Human Rights Commission has criticised police and prison officers over alleged torture and mistreatment of people in custody. Commissioner Teresa Ndanga raised the concern during a specialist training session for law enforcement officers, pointing in particular to Mikuyu Prison in Zomba as a facility where the commission had observed serious problems.

According to the report, the training focused on discouraging interrogation methods that involve physical or psychological abuse to obtain information or confessions from suspects and inmates. The article said participants were told that torture remains a problem within parts of Malawi’s justice and detention system, including in prisons and police settings.

Prescort Zuze Mwayiulipo, identified as head of prosecution at the Malawi Police Service, was reported as calling for investigators to shift away from coercive practices and adopt updated suspect-interviewing techniques that do not rely on pain, fear or intimidation. The report framed the remarks as an acknowledgement from within law enforcement that interrogation practices need reform.

The development matters because allegations of torture in custody raise questions about due process, the reliability of confessions, prison oversight and the protection of detainees’ rights. The Nyasa Times report said human rights advocates have long expressed concern about abuse in Malawi’s criminal justice system; however, the article did not provide figures on the number of cases, details of disciplinary action, or any official response from prison authorities about Mikuyu Prison.