The death penalty was not mentioned in the Constitution...

The death penalty was not mentioned in the Constitution suspended in 1973. The Criminal Law and Procedure Act No.67 of 1938, as amended in 1975, provides for a mandatory capital sentence for murder without extenuating circumstances. Treason carries a discretionary death sentence. All death sentences are automatically referred to the Court of Appeal. If the sentence is confirmed on appeal, the convicted person has the right to appeal to the King for mercy. The King is advised by the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (Justice Minister plus two other ministers and the Attorney General). If the King confirms the death sentence he is required to sign a warrant before execution is carried out. The death sentence was suspended in Swaziland in 1982, after an international outcry. Swaziland has executed 34 convicted murderers since independence from Britain in 1968. The last person was executed 18 years ago: a mother and prominent businesswoman, Phillipa Mdluli, was hanged for the ritual murder of her domestic worker's daughter, whose body had been mutilated in the mystic belief that certain human flesh carries magical powers. Until now, King Mswati III, aged 31, has developed a reputation for leniency, using official holidays and royal celebrations to commute death sentences to life terms and life terms to 15 or 20 years.