2015-07-18 14:00:00

Zambian President commutes death sentences for prisoners on death row


The Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Zambia has expressed its delight at the move taken by Zambian President, Edgar Lungu to commute the death sentences of 332 death row inmates to life imprisonment. President Lungu made the announcement when he visited Mukobeko Maximum Security prison. The prison is situated in the town of Kabwe, north of Lusaka the capital city.

According to a statement made available to Vatican Radio’s English Service for Africa and signed by HRC director, Florence Chibwesha, “Human Rights practice today guides that a rehabilitative approach to criminal offenders should be adopted as opposed to the traditional approaches of retribution, vengeance and punishment under which the death penalty falls,” she said.

The HRC says the commutation of death sentences by President Lungu is a clear demonstration that he will not depart from the direction taken by his predecessors of the de-facto moratorium on executing prisoners. Zambia has not executed any death row inmate since 1997, due to a presidential moratorium on executions that has been maintained by three successive heads of state. Three former Zambian Presidents, Levy Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda and Michael Sata were personally opposed to the death penalty.

In light of President Lungu’s action, the HRC has called upon the Zambian Government to take the extra step and accede to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which requires state parties to abolish the death penalty. The Rights Commission further says Zambia needs to domesticate the Option Protocol to ensure that the judiciary do not continue handing down death sentences as a matter of law. The Commission has reiterated its opposition to the maintenance of the death penalty in the draft Zambian Constitution of 2012.

During his visit to Mukobeko Maximum Security prison, President Lungu also said it was unacceptable for a prison with a capacity of 51 inmates to house hundreds of prisoners. "It goes without saying that this is an affront to basic human dignity apart from the health and sanitation challenges that it has created," President Lungu said.

Overcrowding in Zambian prisons is a perennial issue that previous Zambian Presidents and organisations in Zambia have always acknowledged.

(Paul Samasumo, Vatican Radio)

 

 








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