Zimbabwe Abolishes Death Penalty Under President Mnangagwa, Last Execution in 2005

Dec 31, 2024, 09:50 PM

Zimbabwe has officially abolished the death penalty, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa signing into law an act that commutes the sentences of about 60 prisoners on death row to jail time. The southern African nation had not carried out an execution since 2005, despite courts continuing to issue death sentences for crimes such as murder, treason, and terrorism. The Death Penalty Abolition Act, published in the Government Gazette, prohibits courts from issuing capital punishment for any offense and mandates the commutation of existing death sentences. However, the law includes a provision that allows for the reinstatement of the death penalty during a state of emergency. Amnesty International hailed the abolition as a 'historic moment' and urged for the complete removal of the clause permitting the death penalty under emergency conditions. Zimbabwe joins 24 other sub-Saharan African countries that have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Mnangagwa, who faced a death sentence himself in the 1960s for blowing up a train during the war of independence, has been a vocal opponent of capital punishment. In February, there were reported to be 63 inmates on death row.