The United Nations has applauded Zimbabwe’s decision to abolish the death penalty, urging other countries to follow suit or at least implement a moratorium on capital punishment.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed legislation on Tuesday that will commute the death sentences of approximately 60 prisoners to life imprisonment.
While a moratorium on executions has been in place since 2005, Zimbabwean courts continued to impose the death penalty for offenses such as murder, treason, and terrorism.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk issued a statement, expressing his welcome for Zimbabwe’s action. He emphasized that the death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and the fundamental right to life.
Turk urged all nations that still maintain the death penalty to either abolish it entirely or, as an interim measure, impose a moratorium on its use.
The newly enacted Zimbabwean law prohibits courts from imposing the death penalty and mandates the commutation of all existing death sentences to life imprisonment.
However, a clause in the legislation allows for the reinstatement of the death penalty during states of emergency. Turk urged the Zimbabwean government to remove this provision to further solidify its commitment to the abolition of capital punishment.
President Mnangagwa, who was sentenced to death in the 1960s for acts of sabotage during the country’s independence struggle, has been a vocal opponent of capital punishment. His sentence was later commuted.
This move by Zimbabwe marks a significant step towards a more humane justice system and sets a positive example for other countries considering the abolition of the death penalty.