The Zimbabwe government said it would release up to 6,000 prisoners to ease pressure on overcrowded jails.
The country has 22,000 inmates, though the prisons were only built to hold 17,000.
The prisoners that would benefit from this amnesty were those who were convicted of non-violent crimes.
Amnesty would not be given to prisoners who’d committed serious crimes, like murder, rape and robbery.
The amnesty was announced by the cabinet on Tuesday.
It’s expected to come into effect this month.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told state media the authorities hoped to reduce the prison population from 22,000 to as low as 16,000.
The release of prisoners came as police stepped up a blitz against illegal mining and armed machete gangs that operated in some gold-mining districts, with more than 1,000 arrested since Monday.
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