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Blessing Chidakwa-Herald Reporter
AT least 63 prisoners on death row will now be re-sentenced by the High Court following the abolition of the death penalty.
This momentous shift has been met with widespread acclaim from analysts and advocates alike.
In a nation that has not witnessed an execution since 2005, those condemned to death will now find themselves summoned back to the High Court, where their fate will be reconsidered under the new maximum sentence of life imprisonment or substantial determinate terms.
The landmark signing of the Death Penalty Abolition Bill into law by President Mnangagwa marks a profound transformation in the nation’s legal landscape, heralding the definitive end of capital punishment.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced with conviction that the long-dreaded prospect of hanging will now become a relic of the past for those previously sentenced to death.
“Section 2 of the Act unequivocally states that no death sentence shall be executed, regardless of its imposition. Instead, the High Court is tasked with the solemn duty of imposing an appropriate substitute sentence,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi further emphasised that the Minister of Justice and the Commissioner-General of Prisons must ensure that those under death sentences are appropriately brought before the High Court for re-sentencing.
Mr Mlondolozi Ndlovu, a passionate anti-death penalty activist, expressed profound gratitude for the President’s courageous decision, asserting that history will forever honour this pivotal legislative act.
“For years, civil society, religious organisations, and compassionate individuals have rallied for the abolition of this heinous practice, which stands as a cruel, degrading, and inhumane form of punishment,” he said.
Online Reporter