Spare [1997 military coup leader] Captain Solo and...

Spare [1997 military coup leader] Captain Solo and all those on the death row, [opposition] Patriotic Front president Michael Sata urged [Zambian] President [Levy] Mwanawasa. Sata said once his party gets into power, it will review all death sentences. "The death sentence is inhuman," he said. Sata said at the moment nothing should be expected from the judicial system because the current law on homicide, treason and aggravated robbery imposes a death sentence which is very primitive. "For example, in the current case of the 1997 coup plotters, they committed the offence five to six years ago and several things have happened since then," Sata said. "We therefore feel it is not justice to hang a person after eight years. Whilst we are reviewing the death sentence, we also have to review the judicial system and put limitation to all cases, cases must be completed in a specified period of time." He said there are some remandees who have been in custody for more than one year without trial for simple offences like desertion. Sata said people should be punished by law and not the investigating officers or prosecutors who in most cases delay cases before court. Sata said killing a coup convict is at variance with the spirit in which court sentences are designed. "When you kill a person, he can't repent," Sata said. "These sentences should aim at reforming the offender. Punishment should reform people. That is why I am saying spare Captain Solo and all those on the death row. The laws we use are derived from the so called Commonwealth but there is no capital punishment in Britain. What do you achieve when you today hang those who have been on the death row for 15 years? The people who killed former Kafue district governor Francis Matanda in 1985 are still on death row, when you hang them today, what impact will it have on people?" Sata said treason or coups in Africa are as a result of bad governance. He said once an African leader is elected, he becomes a king. "How come there are no coups in Europe?" Sata asked. "We have to change the intolerance of our leaders."