In a significant move, Zimbabwe's Senate has passed a bill to abolish the death penalty, marking a crucial step towards eliminating a law that has not been enforced in the country for nearly two decades. The bill, which was approved by senators, is now awaiting the president's signature to become law.
Zimbabwe currently employs hanging as a method of execution, with the last known execution taking place in 2005. The scarcity of individuals willing to undertake the role of state executioner has contributed to the lack of executions in recent years.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has been in office since 2017, has publicly expressed his opposition to capital punishment. Drawing from his personal experience of narrowly escaping a death sentence during the country's war of independence, Mnangagwa has used his presidential powers to commute death sentences to life imprisonment.
International human rights organization Amnesty International has called on President Mnangagwa to promptly sign the bill into law and commute existing death sentences. Currently, over 60 prisoners in Zimbabwe are on death row.
Amnesty International reports that the majority of countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty. Zimbabwe is among a group of nations in Africa and globally that retain the death penalty in legislation without an official moratorium.
In 2023, Amnesty International documented 1,153 known executions globally, an increase from the previous year. Notably, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia accounted for a significant portion of these executions. China, in particular, is highlighted as the world's leading executioner, with thousands of individuals believed to have been executed.
While the number of countries carrying out executions has decreased, Amnesty International notes that some nations, including the United States, have seen an uptick in executions. Zimbabwe, along with Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana, has been recognized for taking positive steps towards abolishing the death penalty in Africa.
These developments underscore a global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty and a growing recognition of the importance of human rights and dignity in the administration of justice.
Source: AP Africa news
