Zimbabwe Senate Approves Bill to End Death Penalty
The bill, once signed into law, will bring an end to a practice that has not been enforced for nearly two decades
- Zimbabwe’s Senate passed a bill to abolish the death penalty
- The last execution in Zimbabwe took place in 2005
- Amnesty International urges swift action to sign the bill
The Zimbabwean Senate has passed a landmark bill aimed at abolishing the death penalty, making a major stride toward ending a practice that hasn’t been enforced in almost two decades.
The bill will become law once signed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has been a vocal opponent of capital punishment.
Zimbabwe’s last execution occurred in 2005, and the country has faced difficulties, such as a lack of executioners, in carrying out the death penalty.
President Mnangagwa, who himself was sentenced to death during the country’s independence struggle, has used his powers to commute death sentences to life imprisonment.
Amnesty International has urged the immediate signing of the bill and the commutation of the sentences for over 60 individuals currently on death row.
While Zimbabwe joins a growing number of African nations moving away from the death penalty, it remains one of more than 50 countries worldwide that still retain capital punishment.
According to Amnesty’s 2023 report, 1,153 executions were recorded globally, with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia leading the charge.
