Abolishing Death Penalty Is Essential, Announces Zambian President.

Recently, an article was published on the ‘Mast Newspaper’ of Zambia. This article was published on the 4^{th of} June 2022 and comprised excerpts from the interview with Dr. Rajan Mahtani. The topic of this interview was the death penalty and the recent announcement made by Zambian President Hichilema.On the eve of the ‘Africa Day’ President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema announced that he is planning to abolish capital punishment or the death penalty. The announcement has received widespread support and one of the biggest supporters is Prison Fellowship Zambia (PFZ) Founder and Chairman Dr. Rajan Mahtani. Prison Fellowship was launched more than 37 years ago and has become a premier Christian outreach program for prisoners in Zambia. The organization has dedicated itself to bringing the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ to the prisoners, ex-inmates as well as their families. It also works towards advocating a fair as well as an effective system for criminal justice across Zambia. Dr.Rajan Mahtani’s organization also focuses on providing fundamental rights as well as dignity for prisoners. After the announcement made by the Zambian President, Dr. Rajan Mahtani extended his full support and stated that his company Prison Fellowship will provide legal and regulatory support towards ensuring that the announcement turns into a reality soon.

While praising the decision made by the Zambian President, Dr.Rajan Mahtani stated that it is indeed a bold, unwavering and humane stance by a President who is compassionate, respects the rule of the law, respects fundamental human rights as well as human dignity, and is ready to accept the fact that death penalty is indeed a cruel and inhumane punishment. Dr. Mahtani also highlighted the fact that as a result of growing consensus across the globe regarding abolishing death penalty, Zambian Presidents in the recent past have been avoiding giving capital punishment. Also, the Zambian Government has started strategic decongestion of prisons to reduce the degrading condition of the prisoners. As such, the Zambian President’s decision is a step in the right direction.