HOC meets the minister of Justice Mnangagwa

ZIMBABWE: RADICAL PARTY DELEGATION MEETS MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON THE VOTE FOR THE UN MORATORIUM

November 14, 2014: The second day of the Mission of Hands Off Cain and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty in Zimbabwe started with a meeting with the Hon. Emmerson Mnangagwa Minister of Justice and his staff to discuss the death penalty at the national and international level. Sergio D’Elia, Marco Perduca and Marco Maria Freddi, were present with the Ambassador of Italy Enrico De Agostini and Ms. Paula Vazquez EU responsible for “governance”.
The Hon. Emmerson Mnangagwa shared his personal story with the delegation, when, as a young freedom fighter, arrested and condemned to death, escaped it for his young age in 1965. During his detention, Mr. Mnangagwa had to accompany several comrades to the gallows and, after the hanging, was obliged to bury them in a graveyard in the back of the prison. Since then, he has been an abolitionist and has always refused to sign death sentences while in office from 1988 to 2000 and
since last year.
The Minister  promised to discuss the matter with his colleague of Foreign Affairs, considering the fact that the operative parts of the resolution  that will be put to a vote in December reflect the changes adopted on the issue in the new Constitution adopted in 2013, which drastically limited the use of the death penalty.
In reaffirming his opposition to sign execution orders, Minister Mnangagwa has now started a process to commute the death sentences for the 97 people that are still on death row. Yesterday the Minister himself brought to the attention of Cabinet the cases of then people, three were accepted, the seven that were refused will be brought again before government at the next available opportunity.
The second meeting was at the House of Assembly with the Speaker of the House the Hon. Jacob Mudenda who recalled the African tradition that, also in cases of murder, foresees types of compensation, “the death penalty is a heritage from the colonial past”. President Mudenda
asked to be updated by the delegation on the regional developments and in particular on those African countries that, like Zimbabwe, are in a de facto moratorium situation, but have voted in favour of the document.  “It the vote at the UN is a governmental decision”, said the Speaker, “Parliament will be crucial to inform and involve the citizens on the country’s positions”.
In the afternoon the delegation will meet other Members of Parliament and NGOs. (Sources: HOC, 14/11/2014)