The Zimbabwean Senate has taken a landmark step by approving legislation to abolish the death penalty, bringing the country closer to formally eliminating capital punishment. The bill, passed late Wednesday, now awaits President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s signature to become law.
Zimbabwe has not carried out executions since 2005, largely due to the unavailability of executioners. Hanging, the country’s method of execution, may soon become a relic of the past.
President Mnangagwa, a vocal opponent of the death penalty, has shared his own harrowing experience of facing a death sentence during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle—a sentence later commuted to a decade in prison. In his tenure, he has also commuted several death sentences to life imprisonment through amnesty.
Amnesty International has called on Mnangagwa to sign the bill without delay and commute the sentences of the 60-plus inmates currently on death row.
Globally, the death penalty has been abolished in about three-quarters of countries, though over 50—including Zimbabwe—still have it legally in place without active enforcement. Amnesty reports that in 2023, executions surged globally, with 1,153 recorded—a stark increase from 883 the year prior. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China accounted for the vast majority, with China remaining the world’s top executioner.
Zimbabwe joins Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana among African nations taking significant steps toward abolishing the death penalty. Advocates hope the president’s anticipated approval will set a precedent for the region and reaffirm Zimbabwe’s commitment to human rights reforms.
