Zimbabwe has officially abolished the death penalty after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the Death Penalty Abolition Act into law on Tuesday. This landmark decision will see the sentences of about 60 prisoners on death row commuted to prison terms, marking the end of capital punishment in the southern African nation. The act, published in the Government Gazette, prohibits courts from issuing death sentences for any crimes, and mandates that all existing death sentences be converted into jail time.
Zimbabwe has not carried out executions since 2005, despite the death penalty remaining part of the legal framework. While courts continued to pass death sentences for crimes such as murder, treason, and terrorism, the nation adhered to a de facto moratorium. The abolition of the death penalty follows a long-standing call for reform from human rights groups, who argue that it violates the right to life and is often applied unfairly.
Amnesty International welcomed the move as an “historic moment” but urged the Zimbabwean government to remove a provision in the new law that could reinstate the death penalty during a state of emergency. This clause has raised concerns about the potential for capital punishment to return under exceptional circumstances. Amnesty has called for Zimbabwe to fully embrace abolition without exceptions, as it continues to advocate for the global removal of the death penalty.
As of 2023, Zimbabwe had 59 prisoners on death row, and with the new law, many will face a resentencing process. This move places Zimbabwe among the 24 sub-Saharan African nations that have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, a significant milestone for the continent’s commitment to human rights.
Zimbabwe’s abolition of the death penalty comes as part of President Mnangagwa’s broader efforts to reform the justice system. Mnangagwa himself is a vocal opponent of capital punishment, having been sentenced to death in the 1960s for his role in the guerrilla war for independence, a sentence that was later commuted.
This historic decision marks a new chapter in Zimbabwe’s commitment to human rights and the preservation of life.
