The High Court in Lilongwe has officially quashed an extradition order for religious leader Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, preventing their transfer to South Africa. According to AfricaBrief and Zodiak Online, Justice Mzonde Mvula overturned a previous magistrate's ruling in a judgment delivered on October 12. The judge stated that the lower court denied the couple a fair hearing by only considering the requesting state's case. The court also highlighted improper authentication of extradition documents and cited safety concerns, noting that the couple's right to life takes precedence over their availability to face charges.
In separate legal proceedings, three former leaders of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition have applied to the Chief Resident Magistrate's Court in Lilongwe to block their recent arrest warrants. Nyasa Times reports that Timothy Mtambo, Gift Trapence, and McDonald Sembereka are challenging the warrants, which were issued over alleged bail violations connected to a March 2020 case. Their lawyer, Khwima Mchizi, argued that the warrants are unlawful because the original case was formally discontinued by the State in October 2020.