By Suleman Chitera
The Malawi Law Society (MLS) has issued a sharp warning to law enforcement agencies, condemning the growing practice of conducting what it calls “media trials” by parading suspects before the public and forcing them to explain or reenact alleged crimes.
The society says the practice is unconstitutional, dangerous, and risks collapsing criminal prosecutions before they ever reach court.
MLS President Davis Njobvu said exposing suspects to the media violates one of the most fundamental legal protections — the presumption of innocence.
“Once suspects are presented as perpetrators in public, the damage is already done,” Njobvu warned. “It prejudices fair trial rights and turns investigations into public spectacles rather than lawful judicial processes.”
His remarks follow police actions on Wednesday, when six suspects arrested over the alleged murder of Victoria Bobe, a lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, were taken to Chigumula and made to demonstrate how the crime was allegedly committed — all under public and media scrutiny.
Legal scholars backing the MLS position argue that such reenactments risk contaminating evidence, inviting coerced confessions, and handing defence lawyers powerful ammunition to challenge prosecutions in court.
Njobvu further cautioned that pre-trial publicity fuels public outrage and expectations of guilt, creating a volatile situation if courts later deliver verdicts that contradict the narrative shaped by police-led media exposure.
“When the public is primed for conviction and the courts rule otherwise, the result can be unrest, loss of trust in the justice system, and threats to the rule of law,” he said.
The MLS is now calling on police to return to professional investigative standards — gather evidence, respect constitutional rights, and let courts, not cameras, determine guilt or innocence.
