Zimbabwe’s president once faced the death penalty and is now set to abolish it

Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s senate has approved a bill to abolish the death penalty and it is now set to be signed into law by the president. Zimbabwe uses hanging for capital punishment but last executed someone in 2005. Parliament said Thursday that senators passed the Death Penalty Abolition Bill on Wednesday night. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to sign it into law given his publicly stated opposition to capital punishment. Zimbabwe is among four countries that have recently taken “positive steps” towards abolishing the death penalty, according to Amnesty International. The others are Kenya, Ghana and Liberia. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the U.S. recorded the most executions last year, in that order.