The Human Rights Defenders Coalition-HRDC is calling on the Malawi Human Rights Commission-MHRC to launch a thorough investigation into alleged unprofessional conduct of some traffic police officers leading to the death of a child’s life in Likoma district on Monday 2024.
We established that the body of an eight-year-old girl found dead during the wee hours of today on Likoma Island.
The residents collected the body from mogue and dumped it at the police station as they are demanding answers.
Speaking in an interview with Our News Platform Me, HRDC Chairperson, Gift Trapence said they want MHRC to swiftly initiate an impartial inquiry into the matter.
“We urge them to meticulously examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, ensuring that all relevant are relevant parties are interviewed, evidence is carefully evaluated and a comprehensive report is produced,” said Trapence.
Trapence added the commission should recommend appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
He argued they believed that life comes first before everything and that the officers should have allowed the child to seek medication first.
In 2021, questions emerged after a leaked internal communication in police indicated the service was supposed to be collecting K25 million a day from road users; a thing some legal minds and citizens argued would compromise the officers’ duty on the road.
