Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe says Zambia is proud to be making steps that will make it the next death penalty Abolitionist State.
Hon Haimbe said this during the ongoing 8th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Berlin, Germany.
He has assured the delegates that the New Dawn administration was committed to abolish the death penalty and expressed optimism that by December 2022, Zambia will not have the death penalty on its statutes.
“We have proposed to remove the law that provides for the death penalty and to show commitment, the Bill has already been introduced before parliament and we are confident that it will receive Presidential assent by December this year,” Hon Haimbe assured delegates.
He pointed out that despite the country having never executed anyone in the past 25 years, the death penalty provision must be removed from the statutes to avoid relying on the goodwill of government.
Hon Haimbe said the death penalty was not an appropriate punishment and was against the protocols that Zambia has signed.
He was however quick to mention that Zambia wants to learn best practices from countries such as France and Sierra Leone that have abolished the death penalty, on how to take care of victims and how to improve law enforcement.
The 8th World Congress Against the Death Penalty officially opened on Tuesday 15th November 2022 in Berlin, Germany and will close on 18th November 2022.