Zambia
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist de facto
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · In January, ironically, the voice leading the call...
- News items in the archive
- 235
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Zambia is classified as Abolitionist de facto in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 235 news items on Zambia, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- APRIL 6, 2025ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA COMMITTED TO IRREVERSIBLE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY FOR ALL CRIMES
The Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR entered into force for Zambia on 19 March 2025, three months after date of deposition of the accession instruments.
FEBRUARY 12, 2023ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: PRESIDENT HICHILEMA COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES FOR 390 INMATES TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has commuted 390 death sentences to life imprisonment, six weeks after he abolished capital punishment, a cabinet minister said on 8 February 2023.
JANUARY 17, 2023ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY ON WOMAN WHO SET LOVER ABLAZE
A Zambian appeals court has upheld a death penalty imposed on a woman of Ndola who burnt her former boyfriend with petrol resulting in his death a few days later after he ended their relationship, Zambia Daily Mail reported on 17 January 2023.
- DECEMBER 26, 2022ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA ABOLISHES DEATH PENALTY
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema on 23 December 2022 assented to Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2022, abolishing the law of the death penalty in Zambia.
- OCTOBER 12, 2022ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA BEGINS PROCESS OF ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY
Zambia on 10 October 2022 announced that its Cabinet had approved a review of the penal and criminal procedure codes to abolish the death penalty.
- MAY 25, 2022ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES 'BIG DECISION' TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on 24 May 2022 announced he is making moves to abolish the death penalty in the country.
APRIL 28, 2022ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: TWO POLICE OFFICERS TO BE HANGED FOR KILLING SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
Zambia High Court has sentenced two police officers to death by hanging for killing a suspect in custody, Zambia Daily Mail reported on 12 April 2022.
JUNE 9, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: HIGH COURT SENTENCES TEACHER WHO SHOT DEAD HIS EX-WIFE TO DEATH
The Lusaka High Court has sentenced Kenneth Makina, a teacher, to death by hanging for the murder of his ex-wife Charity Jikubi, The Mast reported on 9 June 2021.
MAY 24, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING FOR DEFILING AND KILLING OWN DAUGHTER
A 33-year-old man of Chipili district who allegedly defiled and murdered his three-day old daughter was sentenced to death on 21 May 2021.
MAY 13, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE ON LUWINGU MAN
The Supreme Court of Zambia has upheld a death sentence slapped on a man of Mporokoso who was convicted of robbing a family of money, the Daily Mail reported on 13 May 2021.
MAY 12, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: CHIPATA HIGH COURT SENTENCES THREE TO DEATH
The Chipata High Court has sentenced three people to death by hanging, in two different cases, the Mast reported on 12 May 2021.
MAY 4, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
A police officer on 4 May 2021 was sentenced to death by hanging for shooting dead a Zambia Air Force employee at Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) offices in Chipata in 2019.
MAY 1, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: MAZABUKA MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING SCHOOL GIRL
The High Court sitting in Mazabuka, Zambia, on 29 April 2021 sentenced to death by hanging 21-year-old Michelo Siangumba of Mazabuka for the murder of Tina Chingumbe Muyuni Mweene, who was a pupil at Mazabuka Girls Secondary School.
- JANUARY 28, 2021ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: PRESIDENT LUNGU REMOVES 246 INMATES FROM DEATH ROW
Zambian President Edgar Lungu has removed 246 inmates who were on death row and commuted their sentences to life sentences, a government official said on 27 January 2021.
- DECEMBER 15, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: NDOLA WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING GYM INSTRUCTOR BOYFRIEND
A Ndola woman who murdered her boyfriend, Jeremiah Mbawa, a gym instructor at Solwezi’s Floriana Lodge in December 2019, by burning him with petrol, has been sentenced to death, the Zambian Observer reported on 11 December 2020.
OCTOBER 15, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CALLS FOR ABOLISHMENT OF DEATH PENALTY
The Zambian government should completely remove the death penalty from its statute books so that the country joins other countries that have abolished it, the country's human rights body said on 13 October 2020.
OCTOBER 12, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: COURT SENTENCES LUSAKA MAN TO DEATH FOR KILLING GIRLFRIEND
Lusaka High Court Judge Sharon Newa has sentenced a 22-year-old man of Mandevu to death by hanging for killing his 20-year-old girlfriend, whose lifeless body was discovered in her house by her elder sister, Diggers News reported on 12 October 2020.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: WIFE MURDERER SENTENCED TO DEATH
The Court of Appeal has condemned a man of Solwezi to death for killing his wife whom he allegedly found in their bed committing adultery with another man, the Daily Mail reported on 21 September 2020.
JUNE 25, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR MURDER
A 29-year-old man of Chambishi Township in Kalulushi district has been sentenced to death for killing his friend, the Daily Mail reported on 24 June 2020.
- APRIL 13, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: 2 COPS SENTENCED TO DEATH
Two police officers of Choma have been sentenced to death by hanging for causing the death of a suspected thief, The Daily Mail reported on 10 April 2020.
MARCH 4, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: NDOLA HIGH COURT SENTENCES WOMAN TO DEATH OVER MOTHER’S DEATH
A 25-year-old woman of Ndola has been sentenced to death by hanging for murdering her biological mother, The Must reported on 2nd March 2020.
- FEBRUARY 4, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: 33 YEAR OLD INMATE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER IN LUANSHYA
The Ndola High Court has sentenced to death a 33 year old inmate for rape and murder of a woman at a farm in Luanshya, Zambia Reports reported on 2nd February 2020.
- FEBRUARY 2, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: HIGH COURT SENDS LUSAKA MAN TO HANG FOR MURDERING LOVER
Lusaka businessman Nshinka Kaputo who murdered Multichoice employee Precious Mangesana who was his lover, on 29 January 2020 was sentenced to death by hanging and 25 years imprisonment with hard labour four causing grievous harm to his three-year-old daug
JANUARY 8, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: LUSAKA COP SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING COLLEAGUE
The Lusaka High Court on 3 January 2020 convicted and sentenced a police officer, Edwin Kabasiya, to death by hanging for the murder of his colleague Lennox Kapila.
- JANUARY 1, 2020ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
The Zambian penal code, section 43, foresees that the death penalty...
The Zambian penal code, section 43, foresees that the death penalty...
- DECEMBER 17, 2019ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: WITCH DOCTOR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING CLIENT
Lusaka Judge Mwila Chitabo has sentenced to death a witch doctor from Paramount Chief Mpezeni area in Chipata for brutally murdering his client, Zambia Reports reported on 13 December 2019.
- DECEMBER 12, 2019ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: GOV'T SAYS READY FOR TALKS TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
Zambia on 10 December 2019 joined the rest of the world in commemorating the 2019 Human Rights Day with Vice-President Inonge Wina saying the government was open to discussions on the possibilities of abolishing the death penalty.
NOVEMBER 21, 2019ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: TWO MEN AND WOMAN CONDEMNED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF THEIR 84-YEAR-OLD GRANNY
The Chipata High Court has sentenced two men and a woman of the same family from Petauke to death by hanging for the murder of their 84-year-old grandmother on suspicion that she was practising witchcraft, the Times of Zambia reported on 20 November 2019.
- JUNE 9, 2019ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: CALL BOY TO HANG FOR KILLING MINI-BUS DRIVER OVER K1
A call-boy who hit a mini-bus driver with a brick in rage after he refused to give him 1 kwacha loading fee was condemned to death on 4 June 2019 by the Supreme Court.
MARCH 25, 2019ZambiaDEATH PENALTYZAMBIA: LUSAKA BUSINESSMAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING WIFE, HER LOVER
The Lusaka High Court has sentenced to death a businessman who shot dead his wife and her alleged lover in Meanwood area last July, The Zambian Observer reported on 24 March 2019.