Zimbabwe has officially abolished the death penalty in what human rights group Amnesty International described as a “historic moment,” Africa News reported.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed off on the decision, which was published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday. The legislation prohibits courts from issuing capital punishment sentences and changes all existing sentences to prison terms.
In 2023, 59 inmates were on death row in Zimbabwe, all related to charges such as murder, treason, and terrorism.
Despite the abolition of capital punishment, a clause in the law still allows for its reintroduction during a state of emergency.
Amnesty has urged Zimbabwe to remove the exception and “fully abolish the death penalty without exceptions.”