International Mechanism Submissions

This report addresses Zambia's compliance with its international human rights obligations with respect to the death penalty. In May 2022, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema announced government plans to abolish the death penalty, and on December 23, 2022, he announced that the country had in fact abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes. Formal abolition of the death penalty is a major step forward for human rights in the country, adding to the growing consensus worldwide for the universal abolition of the death penalty.