Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has commuted the death sentences handed down to 390 people to life imprisonment, after ratifying the abolition of capital punishment in December following a moratorium in place since the last execution in 1997.
The Zambian Minister of Home Affairs and Security, Jack Mwiimbu, has indicated that the President’s decision is part of the authorities’ commitment to the preservation of life and respect for human rights, as reported by the ‘Lusaka Times’ newspaper.
The decision affects 390 people who are incarcerated in Mukobeko maximum security prisons, which house both men and women, after which Mwiimbu himself has expressed his desire that the courts explore alternative sentences for minor offenses to address overcrowding in the country’s prisons.
Zambia became the 25th country in sub-Saharan Africa to abolish the death penalty following Hichilema’s decision. Amnesty International said the move «should serve as an example to countries in the region that still use the death penalty to take immediate steps to end this cruel, inhuman and degrading form of punishment and protect the right to life».
Hichilema said after signing the order abolishing the death penalty that during his campaign he «promised to amend all laws that inhibit the growth of democracy and good governance, impede human rights and basic freedoms,» the Lusaka Times reported. «Today we have delivered,» he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
