What is the state of capital punishment in Zimbabwe?

What is the state of capital punishment in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe human rights campaigners are pressing the government to remove the death penalty from the country’s statutes — which President Emmerson Mnangagwa also calls “a flagrant violation of the right to life and dignity”.

In March 2023, the Zimbabwe government conducted two weeks of nationwide consultations on whether to abolish capital punishment for people convicted of premeditated murder.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services says there are 62 inmates on the death row but the country does not have a hangman. Zimbabwe has been on a de-facto moratorium on executions for about 17 years. The last executions in the country were done in 2005.

What does the Zimbabwean law say about capital punishment?

Section 48 of the Zimbabwe Constitution indicates that the death penalty may be imposed only for murder committed in aggravating circumstances and only on men aged between 21 and 70 years – not on women.

What has been the trend globally?

According to Amnesty International, to date more than two-thirds of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International said 579 executions were recorded in 18 countries in 2021 with China, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria had most known executions- in that order. China remains the World’s leading executioner.

Worldwide the trend is moving strongly towards abolishing death penalty. By the end of 2021, 108 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes, eight countries had abolished the death penalty for crimes not committed during times of war and 28 countries still retained the death penalty but had not executed anyone over the past 10 years. Equatorial Guinea became the latest country to abolish the death penalty when its president signed a new penal code into law.

What are the trends in the SADC region?

Of the 16 member states in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), seven have abolished the death penalty completely and only one continues to carry out executions.

Zimbabweans oppose to the removal of the death penalty say Mnangagwa must not impose his personal views and should allow for a truly democratic outcome from the consultations.

What have Zimbabwean CSOs been saying about the issue?

Zimbabwean legal pressure group, Veritas has proposed a re-trial of prisoners on the death row in addition to a petition to parliament requesting the legislature to pass a resolution on the matter.

The petition calls for the death penalty to be abolished in Zimbabwe without delay. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has been asked to present a Bill in the National Assembly providing for the abolition of the death penalty. Veritas stated that, “If the Hon Minister does not introduce such a Bill within six months, any private Member may do so”.