ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY - PRISCCA
THE death penalty should be abolished in Zambia because it violates the right to life as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Prisons Care and Counselling Association (PRISCCA) has demanded.
PRISCCA Executive Director, Godfrey Malembeka said while President Edgar Lungu should be commended for commutating 246 inmates from death row to life imprisonment, there is need for the country to abolish the death penalty as it was not only unChristian but also against the right to life as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
"We are alive to the fact that we have serious offences such as murder, aggravated robbery and treason which attract the death sentence but Zambia should begin to move in the direction of abolition of the death penalty," he said.
Dr Malembeka said although no condemned prisoner has been executed since 1997 in Zambia, this alone was not enough.
"We are encouraged that the current President has commuted the sentences of over 630 inmates during his tenure.
While this is an impressive record and demonstration of willingness to respect and uphold human rights, we feel this alone is not enough," he said.
He said apart from Zambia being a Christian nation, which by default should not encourage execution of offenders, there is no evidence that suggests that the death penalty deters crime.
"As PRISCCA, we believe reformation is the answer. There is no reformation in the grave. That’s why people who commit serious offences should be jailed and given a chance to reform," he said.
Dr Malembeka said Zambia should join other African countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius and Seychelles that are moving towards abolishing the death penalty and maintain life imprisonment.
He said Mukobeko Maximum facility only has a capacity of 50 people at its condemned section but that this number has kept increasing with more than 400 inmates just before the latest commutation on January 27, 2021, thereby subjecting inmates to untold congestion, an infringement on their rights.