The Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) has expressed deep concern over the continued delay in resolving a compensation case involving Harold Moya and Moffat George—two men who were falsely accused, tortured, and imprisoned for nearly three years, only to be released after the man they were accused of killing, Jekabu Gwaze, was found alive in Mozambique.
CHREAA Executive Director Victor Mhango condemned the slow pace of justice, especially in cases involving the poor.
“It is unfortunate that justice takes ages when it comes to ordinary people. You can clearly see this case has dragged because the victims are not wealthy or powerful. If they were rich, the mediation would have been concluded by now,” Mhango said. “Mediations must be treated as urgent matters. It’s deeply unfair and heartbreaking for those seeking justice.”
The case, currently awaiting mediation before the High Court in Lilongwe, stems from a 2024 incident in which Moya and George were arrested following the disappearance of Jekabu, a man Moya had only briefly interacted with in their village. Despite no concrete evidence linking them to the alleged crime, both men were tortured by police using metal bars and a pressing iron, abuse so severe it forced Moya into a false confession.
Another man, Thauzeni Masula, was tragically burned alive by a mob during the same period, while Harold narrowly escaped a similar fate by surrendering to the police.
The two men were remanded at Maula Prison, where they languished for close to three years without trial. Their ordeal only ended after the intervention of family members, Paralegal Advisory Service Institute in partnership with Legal Aid and Irish Rule of Law, which led to bail and the shocking discovery that Jekabu was alive and well working in Mzambique.
“In prison, I lost everything,” Harold said. “My wife left me. I lost my pigs, my business—everything. I came out with nothing.”
Moffat echoed the pain. “My children were bullied. My wife remarried. I was imprisoned for something I never did. And now we are still told to wait for justice.Moffat emphasized the double standard in the justice system: “It is shocking how quickly they arrested us and how slow the system is to compensate us.
CHREAA is calling for urgent action, including:
- Immediate conclusion of the compensation mediation at the High Court;
- Amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code to explicitly criminalize torture and bar coerced confessions;
- Mandatory training of law enforcement officers in professional, non-coercive, and rights-respecting investigative methods;
The two men are being represented in the compensation case by lawyers from Irish Rule of Law International.
