Delayed Justice: Men Jailed for ‘Murd3r’ of Man Later Found Alive Still Await Compensation

Two Malawian men who were falsely accused, tortured, and imprisoned for nearly three years over a murder that never happened are still waiting for justice as their compensation case drags on in the High Court.

The Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) has expressed deep concern over the slow progress in mediating the case involving Harold Moya and Moffat George, who were arrested and jailed following the disappearance of Jekabu Gwaze, a man later found alive in Mozambique.

According to CHREAA Executive Director Victor Mhango, the delay in compensating the two men is a reflection of the country’s justice system failing the poor and powerless.

“It is unfortunate that justice takes ages when it comes to ordinary people,” Mhango said. “If they were rich or connected, mediation would have been concluded by now. The current pace is not just slow it’s cruel.”

In 2024, Jekabu Gwaze disappeared, and Harold Moya was among the last people seen interacting with him. Despite the lack of evidence, both Moya and George were arrested, tortured with metal bars and a pressing iron, and coerced into making false confessions. Moya narrowly escaped mob justice by surrendering to police, while another man, Thauzeni Masula, was burned alive by a vigilante mob during the same period.

The two men were sent to Maula Prison, where they spent close to three years without trial, only to later discover that Gwaze was alive and working in Mozambique.

“In prison, I lost everything,” said Moya. “My wife left me. My pigs, my business everything. I came out with nothing.”

George added: “My children were bullied. My wife remarried. I was imprisoned for something I never did. And now we’re still told to wait for justice.”

Their release was made possible through the intervention of their families, the Paralegal Advisory Service Institute, Legal Aid, and Irish Rule of Law International.

CHREAA is now calling for the immediate conclusion of the High Court mediation and sweeping reforms in the criminal justice system, including:

• Amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code to criminalize torture and bar coerced confessions;
• Mandatory training for law enforcement officers on professional, non-coercive investigative techniques;
• Legal accountability for officers involved in human rights violations.

Moya and George are being represented in the compensation case by lawyers from Irish Rule of Law International, but as of now, no timeline has been set for the final decision.

“The same system that quickly jailed us is now moving painfully slow to give us justice,” said George. “It’s like we are being punished twice.”