
Zimbabwe last hanged a person convicted of murder almost 20 years ago. Image Credit: Getty Images
Society ZimbabweNo More Death Penalty Here
The President of Zimbabwe approved a law abolishing the death penalty with immediate effect, a decision hailed as a major milestone in ending this ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.
The abolition of capital punishment is “more than a legal reform; it is a statement of our commitment to justice and humanity,” states Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
In December 2024, Zimbabwe’s parliament voted in favour of putting an end to the death penalty. Being a long-standing critic of capital punishment, President Emmerson Mnangagwa approved the Death Penalty Abolition Act, which urges Zimbabwean authorities to “remove the clause included in the amendments to the Bill allowing for the use of the death penalty for the duration of any state of public emergency.” All 60 people on death row at the end of 2023 will be re-sentenced by the courts. The judges are ordered to consider the nature of their crime, the time spent on death row, and their personal circumstances. According to Amnesty International, 113 countries – including 24 in Africa – have fully abolished the death penalty.