Zambia becomes the 25th nation in sub-Saharan Africa to abolish the death penalty

Fulfilling a promise made during the campaign for office, President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema
on December 23, 2022, he signed a law abolishing the death penalty in the nation (pictured). Zambia’s repeal of its colonial-era capital law made it the 25th^the sub-Saharan nation in Africa to abolish the death penalty. The new law also removed the offense of criminal defamation of the president from Zambia’s penal code.

In announcing the repeals, President Hichilema tweeted: “He promised to amend laws that inhibit democracy, human rights, good governance and basic freedoms. #Promises kept”.

Hichilema introduced the bill to end capital punishment to parliament on May 25, 2022, commemorating Africa Freedom Day. He also commuted the sentences of 30 death row inmates that day.

Zambian human rights activist Brebner Changala called the action a “huge milestone in removing colonial laws that do not fit into the country’s democratic dispensation.” Amnesty International issued a statement welcoming the repeal. Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, praised Zambia for “a good and progressive move that demonstrates the country’s commitment to protecting the right to life.”

“Zambia’s decision to ban the death penalty should serve as an example to countries in the region that still use it and compel them to take immediate action to end this cruel, inhuman and degrading form of punishment,” Chagutah said.

Zambia is the fifth sub-Saharan African nation to abolish the death penalty in this decade. Chad
abolished the death penalty for all crimes in May 2020. Then, in July 2021, the Sierra Leone Parliament voted unanimously to abolish the death penalty. In May 2022, the Central African Republic passed legislation to abolish the death penalty and the new penal code adopted by Equatorial Guinea in September 2022 it removed the death penalty from its statutes.