PRISONS Care and Counselling Association (PRISCCA) has over the past few days been inundated by calls from the public and private print and electronic media channels to find out on latest developments in the aftermath of the event to celebrate the World Day for Abolition of the Death Penalty organized by the Zambia Human Rights Commission at Mulungushi International Conference Centre last Monday.
PRISCCA is one of the national human rights defenders that over the past 22 years since inception has championed the call for the abolition of the death penalty and attaches great importance on right to life for capital offence offenders and is aware of its influence in provoking public and media debate around the abolition of the death penalty as there is no rehabilitation in the grave.
The organisation, through its Executive Director, Dr. Godfrey Malembeka, read out an inspiring vote of thanks during the global celebration which was attended by Minister of Justice, Hon. Mulambo Haimbe SC, who is also the Parliamentarian for Lusaka Central Constituency under the United Party for National Development (UPND), who was the invited Guest of Honour.
Other notable dignitaries in attendance was the Country National Coordinator for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Deputy Head of Mission to Zambia for the European Union (EU), and Commissioners and senior management staff from the Zambia Human Rights Commission.
Dr. Malembeka will this morning appear on a morning television interview with the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to further elaborate on the abolition of the death penalty following the interest raised in pursuit of this latest human rights development that His Excellency, President Hakainde Hichilema, has fervently supported.
The interview follows the Human Rights Commission hosted World day for the abolition of the death penalty for which similar calls are being echoed in Zambia that has been under a defacto moratorium signed by President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa SC, (late) after the last execution of nine condemned prisoners was done under the reign of Zambia’s second Republican President, Dr. Frederick Chiluba in January 1997.