The family of a 15-year-old r_ape survivor is contemplating taking legal action after her perpetrator, Bobby Makaza, was released from prison under an amnesty granted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
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Makaza, now 59 years old, had received a significant 16-year prison sentence from a Murewa court in 2019 for committing a s_exual assault against a teenager.
Questions Raised Over Eligibility of Convicted Rapist for Amnesty
Despite serving less than five years of his sentence, Bobby Makaza was one of 4,200 prisoners released under President Mnangagwa’s clemency order signed on May 19, 2023.
The released prisoners included, according to the government, rapists and murderers who had turned 60 years or older.
Lawyers representing the juvenile victim are now seeking clarification on the eligibility criteria under which Bobby Makaza qualified for amnesty.
Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Paidamoyo Saurombe from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have addressed a letter to Moses Chihobvu, the Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, seeking answers.
Court Decision Could Lead to Re-incarceration of Amnesty Releasees
If a court determines that the release of Bobby Makaza was unlawful, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) may be obligated to re-incarcerate him and others who were similarly released under the amnesty.
The victim’s family has instructed their lawyers to set a deadline of Friday, July 7, 2023, for the prisons boss to respond to their letter.
Amnesty Raises Concerns Among Victims of Violent Crimes
While the prisons authority defended the amnesty, citing the need to address overcrowding in Zimbabwe’s prisons, victims of violent crimes have expressed their discontent.
They argue that they were neither consulted nor informed before the release of the perpetrators.
Source iHarare
