PRESS RELEASE: Zimbabwe takes historic decision to abolish the death penalty
- News
- 31 Dec 2024
Today, the President of Zimbabwe has signed the Death Penalty Abolition Act (2024), removing the death penalty in law, following approval by the Senate of the Bill introducing abolition. This is a significant step, recognising the death penalty as an affront to dignity and the right to life.
Zimbabwe has not carried out any death sentences for nearly two decades, with its last execution taking place in 2005. Nevertheless, until today, courts could hand down death sentences for aggravated murder, leaving people facing prolonged periods in harsh conditions of detention, living with the crushing uncertainty that executions could one day resume.
Those currently under sentence of death (approximately 62 according to reports) will be resentenced or have their death sentences commuted, ending death row in the country for good.
The Death Penalty Abolition Act was introduced as a private member’s bill in November 2023 by Edwin Mushoriwa (Member of Parliament, Dzivarasekwa). The government announced its commitment to abolition, with Cabinet backing of the Bill in February 2024. Having made its way through the National Assembly and Senate, President Mnangagwa’s assent on 31st December 2024 enacts it in law.
Abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe has required strong political leadership and close, sustained collaboration between government and civil society for almost a decade. The Death Penalty Project, together with our main partner the Zimbabwean NGO Veritas as well as many others, worked closely with MP Edwin Mushoriwa on the development and progression of the Bill through the final stages in Parliament. We have worked together with our local partners and the diplomatic community in Zimbabwe since 2015, providing expertise and support to persuade the government and others that abolition of the death penalty is necessary and wanted. With the Death Penalty Research Unit at the University of Oxford, empirical research exploring the attitudes of the public to capital punishment was developed to inform and support the debate. Sharing our collective expertise through engagement with Zimbabwe’s political leaders and with civil society has led to this important moment.
Zimbabwe has become the 30th country in Africa to abolish the death penalty for ordinary crimes or all crimes, adding another major achievement to the continent’s accelerating momentum towards universal abolition.
Africa is moving towards abolition of the death penalty at a faster rate than any other continent; in this decade alone, Chad, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Ghana and Zimbabwe have all abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes or for all crimes.
Zimbabwe’s decision to remove the death penalty is a further opportunity for abolitionist de facto states to follow. There are 18 remaining abolitionist de facto states in Africa – where the death penalty is retained in law, but executions have not been carried out in over a decade – including some of Zimbabwe’s regional neighbours, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Commenting on this momentous achievement for Zimbabwe:
Edwin Mushoriwa, Member of Parliament, said: “I am delighted that the Death Penalty Abolition Act has become law. Removing the death penalty sends a message to all that our nation should respect and uphold the value of human dignity. This achievement is a move in the right direction.”
Parvais Jabbar, Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project, said: “The government, our partner organisation Veritas, and all involved in progressing the Death Penalty Abolition Act in Parliament should be commended for their efforts. An unprecedented number of countries within the African Union have abolished the death penalty in recent years, and Zimbabwe now takes its place among them with an encouraging statement of respect for human rights. We will continue to support our partners in Zimbabwe on the next steps and hope this is an opportunity to develop further reforms in the area of human rights. This should not be the end but the beginning.”
Val Ingham-Thorpe, Director of Veritas, said: “The Death Penalty Abolition Act is a historic step towards justice. This marks a significant milestone in our nation’s journey towards human rights and dignity.”
Professor Carolyn Hoyle, Director of the Death Penalty Research Unit, said: “We welcome the news that the death penalty has been abolished in Zimbabwe, indicating respect for human dignity. Our research showed that the vast majority of people would accept this principled decision by Zimbabwe’s leaders, and we expect this to be the case. Zimbabwe has set an example for other countries across Africa to follow in abolishing the death penalty.”
Notes To Editors:
The Death Penalty Project
The Death Penalty Project (DPP) is a legal action NGO based at and supported by London legal firm, Simons Muirhead Burton LLP. For more than three decades, DPP has worked to protect the human rights of those facing the death penalty. We believe the death penalty is a cruel and inhuman punishment. We provide access to justice in all cases where there are fundamental human rights at stake.
For interview requests, quotes or more information please contact [email protected]
Veritas
Veritas provides information on the work of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Laws of Zimbabwe and makes public domain information widely available. Veritas works to advance open government, democracy, constitutionalism, rule of law, justice, and human rights in Zimbabwe. For more information, contact: [email protected]
Status of Death Penalty Abolition in Africa
26 African countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes: Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo and Zimbabwe.
Four African countries have abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes: Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso and Zambia.
Research on attitudes to the death penalty in Zimbabwe
In 2018, in partnership with Veritas, DPP commissioned an independent public opinion survey on the death penalty in Zimbabwe, authored by Dr Mai Sato, University of Reading. Drawing on a representative sample of 1,200 members of the public, the study (12 Years Without an Execution: Is Zimbabwe Ready for Abolition?) revealed that 61% supported the death penalty. On further examination, however, this support was not deeply entrenched, and 80% of those who supported it said they would accept the decision to abolish as government policy.
In 2020, DPP and Veritas commissioned a further opinion study to investigate the views of Zimbabwean opinion leaders on capital punishment. Professor Carolyn Hoyle, Director of the Death Penalty Research Unit at the University of Oxford, led the study: Time to abolish the death penalty in Zimbabwe: Exploring the Views of its Opinion Leaders. Based on in-depth interviews with 42 leaders from the fields of politics, public service, law, religion, civil society, academia, and defence, we found that an overwhelming 90% were in favour of abolition.
