The High Court has begun the re-sentencing process for dozens of inmates previously condemned to death, following the landmark abolition of the death penalty under the Death Penalty Abolition Act.
The Bill, signed into law by President Mnangagwa on December 31, 2024, mandates the re-sentencing of approximately 60 inmates who had been sentenced to death.
As a result, the High Court has scheduled 20 inmates for re-sentencing this month, according to a list issued by the judiciary.
Zimbabwe’s last executions occurred in 2005, when notorious criminals Stephen Chidhumo and Edgar Masendeke—infamous for their 1995 escape from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison—were hanged.
Although no executions have taken place since, death sentences continued to be handed down in some cases until the recent legislative shift.
In accordance with the new law, the re-sentencing process requires the courts to take into account all pertinent factors, including the personal circumstances of the inmates, the duration of their time on death row, and the conditions of their imprisonment.
Under the revised framework, murder convictions involving aggravating circumstances will now result in sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment.
More: The Herald
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