Zimbabwe: Amnesty petitions Zimbabwe leaders over death penalty

An international human rights group has written to Zimbabwe’s three main political party leaders urging them to scrap the death penalty from the new constitution. Amnesty International says in a letter to Zanu PF leader Robert Mugabe and the two leaders of the MDC Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube that the death penalty’s deterrent effect is negligible. Zimbabwe’s new constitution which is being steered by the three parties is currently at drafting stage. A draft released last week shows the death penalty will be retained, but only for aggravated murder.