Staff ReporterPresident Hakainde Hichilema has announced the official abolition of the death penalty and the offense of criminal defamation of the president in the Republic of Zambia.
The changes, which align with the president’s campaign promises to amend laws that inhibit the growth of democracy and good governance, as well as protect human rights and basic freedoms, were made through the passing of the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill number 25 of 2022.
However, governance activist Isaac Mwanza has cautioned that, while the repeal of the law on defamation of the president is a step in the right direction, it is only a half measure and that the entire Chapter 18 of the Penal Code, which includes provisions for charging individuals with defamation of the president, must also be repealed in order to significantly change the country’s democratic landscape.