Three sub-Saharan African countries on the cusp of abolition must act now and abolish the death penalty once and for all, paving the way for others around the world to follow in their footsteps, said Amnesty International on World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October). Kenya and Zimbabwe...

Responding to the news that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government wants to resume executions, after a hiatus of two decades, in a bid to combat armed groups and gang violence, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said: “The...

Responding to a move by Zimbabwe’s cabinet to back abolition of the death penalty, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Khanyo Farisè, said: “Zimbabwe has taken the right step towards ending this abhorrent and inhuman form of punishment that has no place in...

Responding to the news Tafadzwa Shamba and Tapiwa Makore Senior have been sentenced to death by the Harare High Court over the murder of Tapiwa Makore three years ago, Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa, said: “Amnesty International opposes the death...

Responding to the news that the Senate has passed on 7 June 2023 the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill 2022, commonly referred to as the “Patriotic Bill”, which criminalizes “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe”, Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty...

Responding to the news that Singapore authorities have set the execution dates of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam and another Malaysian man – Datchinamurthy Kataiah – for next week, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Erwin van der Borght said:

Zimbabwe has practiced the death sentence for over a century with one of the most high-profile executions being that of Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana in 1898 by the British colonial authorities. To this day her death is considered harsh, unjust and inconsiderate.

Does the death penalty stop crime? Does it give victims justice? Is there a humane way to execute? Get your facts straight about the death penalty with Amnesty’s top 10 FAQs on capital punishment. 1. Why does Amnesty International oppose the death penalty? The death penalty violates the most...