Malawi Government is appearing before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland for a second day today. Malawi is expected to respond to some human rights concerns raised by the UN.
Our source have told us that the proceedings include some of the issues that have so far been discussed include rights of prisoners, Rastafarians, the issue of July 20, 2011 demonstrations which claimed 20 lives and the issue of Police searching peoples premises without search warrant. The other hot issue is the issue of spousal rape.
The UN has raised the issue of Rastafarians being discriminated, like how the government is failing to find them jobs and how their children are asked to cut their hair in order to enroll into schools. So far Malawian officials in Geneva have responded by saying that they have noted of Rastafarian concerns and are trying to eradicate them as soon as possible.
UN has also questioned the government on the July 20 killings, in which 20 people where killed and yet the government has done nothing to prosecute those suspected to have killed the demonstrators. Malawi official in response have told the UN that it due to high levels of ignorance on the part of the organizers and police. The officials also argued that the media is also to be blamed for sensationalizing the issue.
Secretary for Justice and Solicitor General Janet Banda and her team are the officials representing Malawi Government.