Zimbabwe’s government backs a move to abolish the death penalty having last hanged someone in 2005

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s Cabinet has agreed to back a move in Parliament to abolish the death penalty. The punishment was last used in the southern African nation nearly 20 years ago. Zimbabwe is one of more than a dozen countries in Africa and more than 50 across the world that have the death penalty enshrined in law without any moratorium on it. Cabinet’s decision to support a change to the law was taken at a meeting on Tuesday and is a key step. It still needs to be passed by Parliament but appears to have cross-party support. Zimbabwe used hanging as its means of execution.