death penalty news July 4, 2005
ZAMBIA: Retain Death Penalty, CRC Recommends The Constitution Review Commission (CRC) has recommended that the death penalty should be retained in the next Constitution following submission made by petitioners across Zambia. Some of the submissions made to the CRC on the fundamental human rights called for the Bill of Rights to be made superior to other provisions of the Constitution. The CRC also recommended that all offences should be bailable in Zambia and the question on whether bail should be granted or not should be left to the discretion of the courts. It recommended that the Constitution should guarantee the right to administrative justice and right to judicial review. The CRC also recommended for the incorporation of the Bill of Rights of a child as provided for in the United Nations Convention and the principles of gender and women should equally be enshrined in the Bill pf Rights. The rights of the disabled people should also be enshrined in the Constitution under the Bill of Rights and Parliament should enact law to enable disabled people utilise their capacity. The report also states that the Public Order Act should be amended to make it more flexible and permissive. On the establishment of the Council of State as proposed by the Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU), the CRC recommended that the body should not be formed. ZCTU had proposed that the Council of State was to have special powers to summon the Republican President to answer charges. The council was also to have powers to remove the President from office, appointing officers to constitutional offices and making recommendations regarding the exercise of the prerogative of mercy. (source: Times of Zambia)
