Unguja. Zanzibar President, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, has granted pardons to 17 prisoners as part of celebrations marking the 62nd anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution.
The clemency was issued under Article 59 of the 1984 Zanzibar Constitution, which gives the President the authority to pardon individuals convicted of criminal offences.
All 17 beneficiaries had been serving prison sentences before receiving the presidential pardon.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, January 11, 2026, and signed by the Deputy Director of Presidential Communications at State House, Mr Raqey Mohamed, 11 of the released inmates are from Unguja, while six are from Pemba.
“It is a long-standing practice for the President to grant pardons to selected inmates during major national commemorations,” noted part of the statement.
The Zanzibar Revolution, which took place on January 12, 1964, aimed to end colonial rule and transfer power to Africans.
