Inmates serving life sentences in Zambia will soon start enjoying a two-week break to visit their families if they are assessed to be "well behaved".
A new law signed by President Edgar Lungu will give leave licences to chosen prisoners assessed as not posing a danger to the society.
Those who show remorse and stay away from crime will be freed, according to the Zambia commissioner general, Chisela Chileshe.
He, however, said inmates will only enjoy such privileges if the Zambia Correctional Service recommended them in writing to Mr Lungu.
“If they commit an offence, then their licence is revoked," he said.
"The Commissioner General has the right to give an inmate time to go and attend to personal, family matters and this time is determined and granted by the Office of the Commissioner General depending on circumstances," he added.
Some Zambians on Twitter have criticised the new law calling it a "holiday" for criminals.
Latest Stories
-
Akufo-Addo leads nationwide commissioning of 80 educational projects
5 mins -
Ghana and Seychelles strengthen bilateral ties with focus on key sectors
36 mins -
National Elections Security Taskforce meets political party heads ahead of December elections
40 mins -
Samsung’s AI-powered innovations honored by Consumer Technology Association
60 mins -
Fugitive Zambian MP arrested in Zimbabwe – minister
1 hour -
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to take King’s oath
1 hour -
Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
2 hours -
Providing quality seeds to farmers is first step towards achieving food security in Ghana
2 hours -
Thousands of PayPal customers report brief outage
2 hours -
Gary Gensler to leave role as SEC chairman
2 hours -
Contraceptive pills recalled in South Africa after mix-up
2 hours -
Patient sues Algerian author over claims he used her in novel
3 hours -
Kenya’s president cancels major deals with Adani Group
3 hours -
COP29: Africa urged to invest in youth to lead fight against climate change
3 hours -
How Kenya’s evangelical president has fallen out with churches
3 hours