CSO’s Cry Foul over wildlife crime convict pardon

Some stakeholders in the environmental sector have voiced their concerns regarding the reported pardon of a Chinese national, Lin, who was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for wildlife trafficking.

Lin is believed to be among the individuals who benefited during this year’s president Lazarus Chakwera’s Easter celebrations pardon list.

The CSO’s, which include the National Youth Network on Climate Change, Movement for Environmental Action, Coordination Union for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE), Association for Environmental Journalists, and Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy, believe this will negatively impact efforts to strengthen wildlife protection and combat wildlife crimes.

Speaking on behalf of the CSO’s, the Executive Director of CURE, Charles Mkoka, stated that the time has come for authorities to start treating wildlife crime cases as seriously as rape and corruption.

“We have been told that this person is now a free person, and we are very worried because at this particular time, as Malawi, we are moving towards revolving our wildlife sector, ensuring that the species are growing,” explained Mkoka.

“It is very worrisome to see that within a short span of time, this particular person has actually benefited from the time of COVID, and we wanted to make sure that at least we should be able to move towards engaging authorities so that cases involving wildlife should be regarded as serious offenses in Malawi,” he added.

Mkoka then urged authorities to exclude wildlife crimes from all future pardons and emphasized the need for authorities not to be reluctant with information on matters of national interest, in line with the access to information act in the country.

“Now we want to make sure that we increase public awareness because these are matters of national importance,” he said.

He is of the view that the ATM strategy, which is being advocated in the Malawi 2063 agenda, can be realized if authorities are seriously involved in the management of wildlife conservation, as the tourism sector can only grow if wildlife species are fully protected.

Lin was convicted in 2021 after being found guilty of wildlife crimes, as he was found in possession of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, hippo teeth, and rhino horn, respectively.

The government remains quiet on various calls regarding the release of individuals who benefited from this year’s President Chakwera’s pardon as part of Easter celebrations.