By Our Correspondent
Zimbabwe has formally abolished capital punishment, signalling a significant legal reform under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership.
The Death Penalty Abolition Act, now in effect, follows a parliamentary vote in December that put an end to the practice.
As a result, courts will re-sentence approximately 60 death row inmates, taking into account their time in custody, the nature of their offences, and individual circumstances.
The death penalty, introduced during British colonial rule, has not been implemented in Zimbabwe since 2005, although courts continued to hand down such sentences for serious crimes.
This reform reflects President Mnangagwa’s long-standing opposition to the death penalty, shaped by his own experience of being sentenced to death during the country’s independence struggle—a sentence that was later commuted, Daily Post reports.
While the abolition has been largely welcomed, concerns remain over a clause that allows for the potential reinstatement of the penalty in times of emergency.
Zimbabwe now joins more than 20 African nations and over 100 countries worldwide in completely abolishing the death penalty, drawing closer to alignment with international human rights standards.
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