The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has welcomed Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s pledge to abolish the death penalty and work with Parliament to end, what they call “this cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment”. While Zambia has maintained a moratorium on capital punishment since 1997, when executions last took place, the OHCHR said that formal abolition in law would be a major step forward for human rights in the country, insisting that the “use of the death penalty is incompatible with fundamental human rights and dignity”.
