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Zimbabwe
can say no to the death penalty
Amnesty
International Zimbabwe
October 10, 2010
Amnesty International
believes that the constitutional reform process provided for under
Article 6 of the Global
Political Agreement is an opportunity for the Government of
Zimbabwe to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and live
up to its obligations by including the abolition
of the death penalty in the new constitution.
Amnesty International
believes the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading
punishment and constitutes a violation to the right of life. Current
statistics show that no execution has taken place since 2005. However
death sentence continue to be imposed. According to the Ministry
of Justice and Legal Reform, 52 prisoners, one of them a woman,
were awaiting execution in 2009.
Amnesty International
believes the constitution reform process provides an opportune moment
for Zimbabwe's political leadership to support abolition of
the death penalty. Abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe will
bring the country into league with progressive trend in Africa,
where more countries are abolishing this inhuman and degrading punishment
in defense of human rights. That movement is gathering pace in Africa.
Of 53 states in African Union, 49 did not carry out any executions
during 2008 and 2009.
The African Commission
on Human and Peoples' Rights has repeatedly called on AU member
states to abolish the death penalty. The United Nations General
Assembly has also adopted resolutions calling for a moratorium on
executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Amnesty International
Zimbabwe is urging the Government of Zimbabwe and political parties
to play a leading role to persuade the Zimbabwean people to abolish
the death penalty in law. We urge you to recognize the death penalty
as inhuman and degrading punishment and a violation of the right
to life by taking this unique opportunity to remove it from the
Constitution in defense of human rights.
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