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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
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Let’s restore death penalty, says Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe | Let’s restore death penalty, says Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe |
| (26 days later) | |
| 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 | Robert Mugabe |
| Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe |
| Capital punishment | Capital punishment |
| Africa | Africa |
| news | news |
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