The Death Penalty Abolition Bill was signed into law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on New Year\u2019s Eve, marking a transformative shift in Zimbabwe\u2019s legal and human rights landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is indeed historic,\u201d said Lucia Masuka, Executive Director of Amnesty International Zimbabwe. \u201cIt means a lot in terms of the protection and advancement of human rights, as well as Zimbabwe\u2019s progress in aligning its laws with international norms and standards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Masuka highlighted that while Zimbabwe has not carried out executions since 2005, the psychological toll on death row inmates underscored the need for this decision. \u201cImagine the emotional and psychological torture of inmates waiting for a date that never comes. This decision brings much-needed relief and demonstrates a commitment to the right to life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite celebrating the abolition, Amnesty International stressed the importance of addressing the Defence Act, which permits the death penalty for military officers during public emergencies. \u201cAbolition for all crimes is the ultimate goal,\u201d Masuka explained. \u201cRetaining the clause undermines Zimbabwe\u2019s full commitment to protecting the right to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision has been widely applauded by local Human Rights groups and the public, with Amnesty noting that 80% of participants in public hearings supported the abolition. Zimbabwe joins 24 African countries that have abolished the death penalty, contributing to a global trend towards its elimination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis development fits into our global fight against capital punishment,\u201d said Masuka. \u201cIt sends a strong message to countries yet to abolish the death penalty, highlighting that they are increasingly isolated in their stance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Masuka also urged the Zimbabwean government to address broader human rights challenges, including issues related to civic space and access to documentation for stateless individuals. \u201cWe hope this bold step signals further reforms to strengthen human rights protections in Zimbabwe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCitizens must continue engaging on the right to life and other human rights issues, ensuring this moment is not just symbolic but transformative,\u201d said Masuka.<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12076,"template":"default||default||default||default||default||default||default||default","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[],"class_list":["post-12075","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0||Global rights group Amnesty International has praised Zimbabwe\u2019s decision to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, describing it as a \"historic moment\" and a significant milestone in the country\u2019s human rights journey. \u00a0","published_date":"2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00||2025-01-03 00:00:00","news_description":"","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17865,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12075\/revisions\/17865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=12075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}