HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe released at least 320 prisoners from its jails on Saturday to ease congestion in the country’s notoriously overcrowded jails as a second wave of the coronavirus devastates the country. The move comes amid growing allegations that a government crackdown has sent dozens of activists, journalists and opposition leaders to prisons. The prisoners were released under an amnesty program established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2018, the year after he seized power, ending decades of the strongarm rule of Robert G. Mugabe. The amnesty does not include prisoners convicted of crimes that include murder, human trafficking, sexual offenses and treason. That is the country’s largest correctional facility, and it is known for overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.

Source: New York Times April 17, 2021 21:00 UTC