Maravi

CCZ opposes death penalty

CCZ opposes death penalty
By Allan Mulenga
Mon 02 July 2012, 13:23 CAT

THE death penalty should not be the extreme punishment to be meted to those who commit serious crimes, says Reverend Moses Mwale. In an interview, Rev Mwale, who is Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) president, said the death penalty should not be part of the constitution.

"I strongly believe that death penalty should be not part of the Constitution. I am a pro-life person and I believe in life, as it were. I know the background and the essence of introducing the death penalty is to try to deter extreme crimes in society. By sentencing people to death it means that people might be deterred those who might want to commit extreme crimes might be deterred from committing such crimes.

But there is a point where I don't think we need to implement an eye for an eye in as far as these matters are concerned," he said.

Rev Mwale urged those advocating for the inclusion of the death penalty in the constitution to look at life holistically.

"Yes, those people that have committed murder or serious crimes deserve punishment, they are a danger to the society, but I don't think we should go to an extent of sentencing someone to death. We better give them a chance of reform and change, hoping that there would be change. For me the extreme punishment that we might confer on such people could be maybe a life sentence," he said.

Rev Mwale said there was need to give people who commit serious crimes an opportunity to repent and transform their lives.

"They could have made a mistake, but they could change in life and if given an opportunity. Those that are not going to change, let them be confined permanently away from the people around without killing them. During that time they might make a decision to change their lives as well," he said.

He said Jesus Christ believed in the reality of life and that all people had an opportunity to change.

Debate has raged over whether or not to retain the death penalty in the Zambian statutes.

Reverend Pukuta Mwanza, executive director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, recently said the death penalty should be retained as it was necessary for the protection of the general public.

And Fr Augustine Mwewa, a priest in the Ndola Catholic Diocese, said the death penalty serves as a deterrent and helps in reducing crime and that capital punishment assured the safety of society by eliminating criminals.

Labels: CCZ, DEATH PENALTY, MOSES MWALE

posted by MrK @ 3:20 PM