Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has enacted legislation abolishing the death penalty in the southern African nation, effective immediately.
Amnesty International has lauded this decision, calling it a “beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region,” while expressing concern that the death penalty could be reinstated during a state of emergency.
This development follows a vote by Zimbabwe’s parliament earlier in December to eliminate the death penalty. Although Zimbabwe’s last execution by hanging occurred in 2005, its courts continued to impose death sentences for serious crimes such as murder.
As of the end of 2023, approximately 60 individuals were on death row, according to Amnesty International. These individuals will be re-sentenced by the courts, with judges instructed to consider the nature of their crime, the duration of their time on death row, and their personal circumstances, as reported by the state-owned Herald newspaper.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi remarked that the abolition of the death penalty represents “more than a legal reform; it is a statement of our commitment to justice and humanity.”
The death penalty was initially introduced in what is now Zimbabwe during British colonial rule. Mnangagwa, a longstanding opponent of capital punishment, has cited his own experience of being sentenced to death in the 1960s for sabotaging a train during the guerrilla war for independence. His sentence was later commuted to ten years in prison.
The Death Penalty Abolition Act was published in the government gazette on Tuesday following Mnangagwa’s signature.
Amnesty International hailed this move as not only “great progress” for Zimbabwe but also a “major milestone” in global efforts to eradicate “this ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.”
The organisation has called on Zimbabwean authorities to “remove the clause included in the amendments to the Bill allowing for the use of the death penalty during any state of public emergency.”
Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party has governed Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, often facing accusations from opposition and human rights groups of ruling with an iron fist to maintain power.
Globally, 113 countries, including 24 in Africa, have fully abolished the death penalty, according to Amnesty International.
The five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States, the rights group added.
Frances Ibiefo
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