The Mozambican Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs said today that the country will sign more extradition agreements so that foreigners sentenced in the national territory can serve their sentences in their countries and decongest prisons.
Kida was speaking after a visit to Nldlavela Women’s Prison in Maputo province.
“We do have some prisoners who are not nationals, we have [here at Nldavela Women’s Prison] a prisoner from Congo, who has already served half her sentence but cannot be paroled. We also have a Venezuelan citizen sentenced to ten years and who has also served half of her sentence, but she cannot be paroled,” Kida said.
According to Mozambican criminal legislation, the impossibility of granting conditional parole to foreign prisoners is due to the inability to comply with the Identity and Residence Term because they have no home in Mozambique.
The Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs said that the Mozambican authorities are also studying the possibility of signing prisoner exchange agreements, so that Mozambican prisoners can serve their sentences in the country.
A survey will be carried out in national jails to determine the number of foreign inmates that will be covered by the prisoner swap scheme, she added.