ZIMBABWEANS START DEBATE ON ENDING DEATH PENALTY

March 30, 2023:

Zimbabwe’s government has started two weeks of nationwide consultations on whether to abolish capital punishment for people convicted of premeditated murder.
The consultation period began on March 27 and will run through to until April 7, 2023.
Public discussions on the death penalty are being held all over the nation by the Ministry of Justice.
The consultations’ goal is to assemble the opinions of the people and different stakeholders.
The opinions gathered will have an impact on how the proposed death penalty legislation is written.
The Ministry has been criticized for holding public consultations on the death penalty as the country gears up for general elections in a few months.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold elections between July and August this year.
Historically, the election period is associated with violence and intimidation leading to loss of life and voter apathy.
However, the ministry officials in response affirmed that the inquiry had nothing to do with elections further adding that the elections are not supposed to stop the law-making process.
In Zimbabwe, the last execution took place in 2005, and since then, death penalties have been changed to life in prison.
Currently 62 people are on the death row in Zimbabwe.