AFRICA/MALAWI - Catholic University: Law Faculty students to provide free legal aid

Thursday, 3 April 2025 justice university prisoners

Catholic University of Malawi

MALAWI

2025-04-03
Catholic University: Law Faculty students to provide free legal aid

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Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) - "This year, the Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year with the theme: Pilgrims of Hope. As a falculty, can we not go to our prisons and help liberate those who do not belong there?" asked Father Wilfred Sumani, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University of Malawi, in a speech to law faculty students preparing for the "Moot Court" competition (in which teams of law students compete in a mock criminal trial). Father Sumani urged the students to participate in the free defense of prisoners who cannot afford legal representation.
Lawyer Noel Chalamanda, the facilitator of the training, expressed his commitment to join the challenge of helping prisoners on pro bono: "I will take on ten cases in this challenge and only require assistance from the students with the paperwork".
In Malawi, there are several cases of arrests based on inadequate investigations, often targeting poor individuals. This contributes to overcrowding in police cells and prisons. Despite legal reforms and the constitutional right of the poor to legal representation, this is rarely guaranteed in practice in Malawi. In addition to legal fees, those involved in a legal dispute also face other logistical costs. A large portion of the population still lives in rural areas. The inaccessibility and lack of functioning and effective legal institutions in rural areas is one of the main reasons why the poor have difficulty accessing the courts. For villagers, the nearest district court can be 25-40 kilometers away. Most villagers cannot afford a personal vehicle, and public transportation is non-existent in rural areas. The only means of transportation available to villagers are walking, cycling, or hitchhiking to court. Furthermore, they must arrive at the courthouse several days before the start of the trial, incurring costs for food and accommodation. The government provides insufficient funding for legal assistance to poor citizens, making it virtually impossible for most defendants. Furthermore, the Malawi Bar Association does not appear to particularly support the practice of pro bono defense. The initiative proposed by the Catholic University of Malawi for the Jubilee Year is therefore intended as a signal to try to change this situation. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 3/4/2025)