Malawi: Chakwera Slammed for Pardoning Chinese Wildlife Kingpins - 'A Betrayal of Malawi's Conservation Fight'

Malawi: Chakwera Slammed for Pardoning Chinese Wildlife Kingpins - 'A Betrayal of Malawi's Conservation Fight'

President Lazarus Chakwera is facing a torrent of criticism after controversially pardoning two convicted Chinese wildlife traffickers, in what civil society leaders and environmentalists have branded a shameful betrayal of Malawi's fight against corruption, wildlife crime, and executive accountability.

Secrecy shrouds Chakwera’s prison pardons Malawi 24 | Latest News from Malawi

As Malawi marked its 61st Independence Day, President Lazarus Chakwera pardoned 37 inmates in a move framed as part of ongoing justice reforms and national healing. The decision, however, has stirred significant criticism and concerns over transparency, as government authorities announced the pardons without disclosing the names of those released. A statement from the Ministry […] The post Secrecy shrouds Chakwera’s prison pardons appeared first…

Chakwera Slammed for Pardoning Chinese Wildlife Kingpins: “A Betrayal of Malawi’s Conservation Fight”

President Lazarus Chakwera is facing a torrent of criticism after controversially pardoning two convicted Chinese wildlife traffickers, in what civil society leaders and environmentalists have branded a shameful betrayal of Malawi’s fight against corruption, wildlife crime, and executive accountability. The decision to release Lin Yunhua and his wife Qin Hua Zhang—key players in a notorious […] The post Chakwera Slammed for Pardoning Chinese Wil…

Pardon of Chinese traffickers stirs storm

President Lazarus Chakwera has come under scrutiny for pardoning two Chinese convicted of wildlife trafficking with Natural Resources Justice Network demanding a reversal of the decision to bolster Malawi’s conservation efforts. The network’s board chairperson the Reverend Macbowman Mulagah, in a statement dated July 5 2025, said the pardoning of Lin Yunhua and his wife Qin Hua Zhang, who led a wildlife trafficking syndicate that operated across…