HARARE
–
Zimbabwe’s
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
has
approved
a
law
that
abolishes
the
death
penalty
in
the
southern
African
state
with
immediate
effect.
Rights
group
Amnesty
International
hailed
the
decision
as
a
“beacon
of
hope
for
the
abolitionist
movement
in
the
region”,
but
expressed
regret
that
the
death
penalty
could
be
reinstated
during
a
state
of
emergency.
Mnangagwa’s
move
comes
after
Zimbabwe’s
parliament
voted
earlier
in
December
to
scrap
the
death
penalty.
Zimbabwe
last
carried
out
an
execution
by
hanging
in
2005,
but
its
courts
continued
to
hand
down
the
death
sentence
for
serious
crimes
like
murder.
About
60
people
were
on
death
row
at
the
end
of
2023,
according
to
Amnesty
International.
They
will
be
re-sentenced
by
the
courts,
with
judges
ordered
to
consider
the
nature
of
their
crime,
the
time
they
spent
on
death
row
and
their
personal
circumstances,
the
state-owned
Herald
newspaper
reports.
Justice
minister
Ziyambi
Ziyambi
said
the
abolition
of
the
death
penalty
was
“more
than
a
legal
reform;
it
is
a
statement
of
our
commitment
to
justice
and
humanity”.
The
death
sentence
was
introduced
in
what
is
now
Zimbabwe
during
British
colonial
rule.
Mnangagwa
has
been
a
long-standing
critic
of
capital
punishment,
citing
his
own
experience
of
being
sentenced
to
death
in
the
1960s
for
blowing
up
a
train
during
the
guerrilla
war
for
independence.
His
sentence
was
later
commuted
to
10
years
in
prison.
The
Death
Penalty
Abolition
Act
was
published
in
the
government
gazette
on
Tuesday
after
Mnangagwa
signed
it
into
law.
Amnesty
International
said
the
move
was
not
“just
great
progress”
for
Zimbabwe
but
also
a
“major
milestone”
in
international
efforts
to
end
“this
ultimate
cruel,
inhuman,
and
degrading
punishment”.
It
urged
the
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”.
Mnangagwa’s
Zanu
PF
party
has
ruled
Zimbabwe
since
independence
in
1980.
It
has
repeatedly
been
accused
by
opposition
and
rights
groups
of
ruling
with
an
iron
fist
in
its
bid
to
remain
in
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
US,
the
rights
group
added.