Mozambican loggers arrested in Malawi: No trial date and six postponements

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Mozambican loggers arrested in Malawi: No trial date and six postponements

11:43 CAT | 10 Apr 2017

Voa Portugues

The relatives of the 24 Mozambican, Chinese and Portuguese loggers detained in Malawi since early November 2016 on charges of illegal logging in Lengwe National Park protected nature reserve accuse the country of judicial “inertia” of justice and are calling for the prompt release of all the defendants.

After five postponements, the last on Thursday 6 April, a court in Malawi, which had previously rejected habeas corpus petitions after the defence alleged their detention by the police was illegal, upheld the arrest of 21 Mozambicans, two Chinese and one Portuguese.

Another 12 Malawians, who were working at the camp, were also detained.

“We are very sad about this situation,” Maria Graciete, the wife of the Portuguese logger, said. She deplored conditions in the Malawian jails where the suspects are being held, and requested Mozambican authorities to intervene.

The 36-member group, led by the Portuguese and the two Chinese, was detained in two National Parks and Wildlife Department of Malawi operations on 1 and 2 November 2016 at a logging camp in Lengwe National Park, 5 kilometers from the Mozambican border.

The Mozambican press reports that the exploration area belongs to Mozambique and has colonial-era border marks.

During the operation, the Malawian force seized about US$2 million worth of equipment, including two bulldozers, used to clear roads to the DOA national park in the Mozambican province of Tete, six tractors, a truck, a Toyota Landcruiser and a Toyota Hilux, two chainsaws and four motorbikes.

On 3 November, the loggers were transferred from Lengwei National Park to the Chikwawa police command, in the presence of a delegation from the Mozambican and Malawian Police.

The group’s first hearing took place on Tuesday 8 November in Chikwawa, after which the 36 defendants were sent to Blantyre, the economic capital of Malawi.

On 14 November, the defendants appeared in Blantyre High Court, where they were accused of illegal logging and illegal entry into Malawi.

“I only saw the [police] force detaining my son with other loggers and we do not understand the reason for the delay in the prison because we consider them not guilty,” said the mother of a Mpane régulo [traditional chief], echoing several other women whose sons have been detained.

On 27 March, the Blantyre resident magistrate said that the 36 detainees were liable to six counts related to illegal entry and illegal logging inside a Malawi national park.

The court also found the loggers guilty of exporting logs valued at total of US$8.9 million.

No date for the trial has yet been set.

Source: Voa Portugues