Malawi: Violent attack against human rights defender Sylvester Namiwa amid escalating political violence and repression ahead of general elections
Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the violent attack against prominent human rights defender Sylvester Namiwa at the end of June and is deeply concerned about the shrinking civic space in Malawi ahead of the general elections scheduled for 16 September 2025.
Sylvester Namiwa is a leading advocate for human rights and good governance in Malawi, and the Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI). He has played a central role in promoting civil liberties, electoral transparency and constitutional rights. His work centres on peaceful civic mobilisation, government accountability, and safeguarding democratic institutions, often amidst threats, judicial harassment, and surveillance.
On 26 June 2025, Sylvester Namiwa was brutally assaulted by over 200 armed individuals wielding machetes while attending a peaceful protest at Lilongwe Community Centre Ground. The demonstration, organised to demand credible elections, was violently disrupted despite being lawful and peaceful. The human rights defender sustained more than fifteen serious injuries across his body. The attack occurred in broad daylight, in the presence of both the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), neither of which intervened. Since the attack, Sylvester Namiwa has continued to receive death threats, highlighting the urgent need for protective measures.
This attack is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader and deeply concerning pattern of politically motivated violence and intimidation targeting civil society. Since 2023, human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, opposition figures and peaceful protesters have been repeatedly subjected to threats, assaults and harassment, often in full view of state security agencies.
The Malawi Law Society has documented numerous of such incidents, including attacks on teachers, civil servants, opposition supporters, and demonstrators protesting against cost-of-living increases and fuel shortages. Other organisations, such as Youth and Society (YAS), have compiled a chronology of violent incidents from 2023 to 2025, including physical attacks on protesters, looting of offices, and systematic intimidation of dissenters, further demonstrating the dangerous decline in Malawi’s democratic space. Despite public condemnations from President Lazarus Chakwera, state institutions, including the Ministry of Homeland Security and the Inspector General of Police, have repeatedly failed to act, severely undermining public trust and accountability.
Front Line Defenders calls on the Government of Malawi to take immediate and meaningful steps to end the escalating threats against civil society and to ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work without fear of reprisal. It is essential that attacks such as the one against human rights defender Sylvester Namiwa are investigated independently and that accountability is guaranteed at a ll levels. As the country approaches a critical electoral period, authorities must demonstrate a clear and unwavering commitment to protecting civic space, upholding constitutional rights, and fostering an environment in which human rights work is fully respected.
