Zimbabwe has abolished the death penalty

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved a law that abolishes the death penalty in the southern African state with immediate effect.

The decision has been hailed as a "beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region", by Amnesty.

However, the rights group Amnesty expressed regret that the death penalty could be reinstated during a state of emergency.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's move comes after Zimbabwe's parliament voted earlier in December to scrap the death penalty. (BBC).

The last execution in Zimbabwe was carried out in 2005 by hanging. Zimbabwe courts continued to hand down the death sentence for serious crimes like murder.

There were about 60 people on death row at the end of 2023, according to Amnesty.

These people will be re-sentenced by the courts, with judges ordered to consider the nature of their crime, the time they spent on death row and their personal circumstances.