Supreme Court of Appeal removes death penalty
One of the renowned sheikhs in the country says the removal of the death penalty in the constitution may result in increased murder cases.
Sheikh Ahmad Chiyenda has made the remarks a day after the panel of seven Supreme Court of appeal judges outlawed Section 323 of Malawi constitution.
According to sheikh Chiyenda the law was serving as deterrent to would be offenders
“The presidents are to be faulted for not signing for execution of the law on convicts of murder cases,” Sheikh Chiyenda
In his remarks executive director of Centre for Human Rights Advice and Assistance CHREA hailed Supreme Court of Appeal for the ruling which he described as a land mark in as far as respect of human life is concerned.
Mhango said “since 1994 no one has been executed in Malawi because the presidents were not signing death warrants.”
However he has urged government to ensure that prisons are in good condition where inmates would be reformed.
According to Supreme Court at the end of 2020, 27 people were known to be under death sentence in Malawi hence ordering that they must be re-sentenced to a term of years or life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Malawi has become the 22nd country in sub-Saharan Africa to abolish the death penalty, following Chad’s abolition of capital punishment for all crimes last May.
