Human Rights Commission delighted with decision on death sentences

The Human Rights Commission is delighted at the move by President Edgar Lungu taken to commute the death sentences of 332 death row inmates to life imprisonment.

Commission Director Florence Chibwesha in a statement says the commutation is a clear demonstration that President Lungu will not depart from the direction taken by his predecessors of the de facto moratorium.

Ms Chibwesha says in light of this action, the Commission calls upon Government to take the extra step and accede to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which requires State Parties to abolish the death penalty.

She says Zambia needs to domesticate the Option Protocol to ensure that the Judiciary do not continue handing down death sentences as a matter of law.

Ms Chibwesha says the Commission reiterates its opposition to the maintenance of the death penalty as submitted to the technical committee on drafting the Zambian Constitution in 2012.

He states that Human Rights practice today guides that a rehabilitative approach to criminal offenders should be adopted as opposed to the traditional approaches of retribution, vengeance and punishment under which the death penalty falls.

And the Human Right Commission has condemned in strongest terms the reported violent acts of Patriotic Front (PF) cadres on the Copperbelt Province who forced their way into Icengelo Radio on Wednesday evening to stop a radio programme where the United Party for National Development Party (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema was scheduled to speak.

Ms Chibwesha says the Commission is disappointed with the PF cadres’ attack on Mr.Hichilema and interference with Radio Icengelo’s scheduled programme.

She states that it is unfortunate that the cadres have continued to behave violently and conducting themselves in a manner that is inconsistent with the stance taken by President Lungu on political violence.

Ms Chibwesha says the Commission calls upon the PF party leadership to translate the commitment to stop political violence into action by sanctioning the cadres behind the attack so that they understand there are no rewards for perpetrating such acts.