This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/01/lets-restore-death-penalty-says-zimbabwes-robert-mugabe
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Let’s restore death penalty, says Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe | Let’s restore death penalty, says Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe |
| (3 months later) | |
| President says he is in favour of lifting moratorium in country where no one has been executed since 2005 | |
| Staff and agencies in Harare | |
| Wed 1 Nov 2017 14.58 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 14.30 GMT | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| View more sharing options | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Close | |
| Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, has said he is in favour of resuming executions in the country in response to rising murder rates. | Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, has said he is in favour of resuming executions in the country in response to rising murder rates. |
| Capital punishment is on the statute book in Zimbabwe, but no one has been executed since 2005, when the country’s last hangman retired. | Capital punishment is on the statute book in Zimbabwe, but no one has been executed since 2005, when the country’s last hangman retired. |
| “I think let’s restore the death penalty,” Mugabe said in the capital Harare at the burial of a veteran of Zimbabwe’s independence struggle on Wednesday. | “I think let’s restore the death penalty,” Mugabe said in the capital Harare at the burial of a veteran of Zimbabwe’s independence struggle on Wednesday. |
| Although he said his cabinet is divided on the issue, Mugabe said he favoured lifting the moratorium on executions. He did not say when it could happen, but said: “If you hear people are being executed, know Mugabe’s thinking has prevailed.” | Although he said his cabinet is divided on the issue, Mugabe said he favoured lifting the moratorium on executions. He did not say when it could happen, but said: “If you hear people are being executed, know Mugabe’s thinking has prevailed.” |
| Mugabe, 93, said he had been shocked by the number of recent murders in Zimbabwe after receiving a crime report from the police chief, though he gave no further details. | Mugabe, 93, said he had been shocked by the number of recent murders in Zimbabwe after receiving a crime report from the police chief, though he gave no further details. |
| “People are playing with death by killing each other,” he said. “Is this why we liberated this country? | “People are playing with death by killing each other,” he said. “Is this why we liberated this country? |
| “We want this country to be a peaceful and happy nation, not a country with people who kill each other.” | “We want this country to be a peaceful and happy nation, not a country with people who kill each other.” |
| Human rights groups including Amnesty International have often called on Zimbabwe, which has 92 inmates on death row, to permanently abolish capital punishment. | Human rights groups including Amnesty International have often called on Zimbabwe, which has 92 inmates on death row, to permanently abolish capital punishment. |
| The country’s 2013 constitution exempts all women from the death penalty, as well as males under 18 and over 69 years old. | The country’s 2013 constitution exempts all women from the death penalty, as well as males under 18 and over 69 years old. |
| Zimbabwe, which has an unemployment rate of more than 90%, announced last month that it received more than 50 applications from people wanting to become hangmen. | Zimbabwe, which has an unemployment rate of more than 90%, announced last month that it received more than 50 applications from people wanting to become hangmen. |
| “The response has been overwhelming and the applications have been from both men and women,” Virginia Mabhiza, permanent secretary in the justice ministry , told the NewsDay newspaper at the time. | “The response has been overwhelming and the applications have been from both men and women,” Virginia Mabhiza, permanent secretary in the justice ministry , told the NewsDay newspaper at the time. |
| “We have received over 50 applications in the past few months. People are very interested.” | “We have received over 50 applications in the past few months. People are very interested.” |
| A new hangman was reported to have been appointed in 2012 but the chosen candidate was never confirmed. | A new hangman was reported to have been appointed in 2012 but the chosen candidate was never confirmed. |
| Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report | Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report |
| Robert Mugabe | |
| Zimbabwe | |
| Capital punishment | |
| Africa | |
| news | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Reuse this content |