BLANTYRE--Malawi on Friday freed 377 prisoners as part of celebrations to mark 48 years of independence from Britain, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The ministry said in a statement most of the inmates set free had "served at least half of their prison sentences with good behavior and were not convicted of serious crimes.”

Malawi's 23 prisons which are spread across the country, have 12, 000 prisoners despite having a holding capacity of half the inmates.

A retired high court judge has in the past described conditions in the country's prisons as "hell on earth."
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