Zambia accepts 183 UPR recommendations
By Staff Reporter
THE Human Rights Commission says while a moratorium on death penalty in Zambia still remains inadequate, it is heartening that the country is a de facto death penalty abolitionist.
Speaking at a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) information dissemination breakfast meeting at Protea Towers – Arcades in Lusaka yesterday, Human Rights Commission (HRC) chairperson Mudford Mwandenga, who was represented by his vice Kondwa Sakala Chibiya, hailed the government for “finally” accepting a total of 183 UPR recommendations during the 36th session of the human rights council held in March, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland.
UPR is a human rights monitoring mechanism that emerged out of the 2005 United Nations (UN) reforms.
It is a unique process which involves a periodic review of fulfilment by each of the 193 UN member States of their human rights obligations and commitments.
“I wish to state that the Human Rights Commission also participated in this session (36th session in March 2018) and the chairperson of the Commission delivered a brief statement to the human rights council in which, among other, commended the Zambian government for their commitment to transparency and accountability during the process. The acceptance of 183 out 203 recommendations represents a 90 per cent acceptance rate, which is a commendable demonstration of the Zambian government to improving the country’s human rights records. However, in order to turn that kind of commitment into reality, I wish to reiterate what was said during the UN human rights council session. It is our hope that the Zambian government firm commitment to putting in place a UPR implementation mechanism with a clear time-bound implementation action plan to enhance the progressive realisation of human rights in Zambia,” Mwandenga said.
He added that the government must also continue engaging UN member States, particularly those who made recommendations for possible technical and financial assistance towards effective implementation of the accepted recommendations.
“Finally, notwithstanding the impressive acceptance rates of the UPR recommendations, the Human Rights Commission will continue engaging various stakeholders, including the government to ensure that consensus is reached towards abolishing the death penalty. The Commission wishes to commend the government for accepting a moratorium on the death penalty, as recently announced after the dialogue meeting with some cooperating partners. It is also encouraging that since 1997, there has been no President who has signed a death warrant in Zambia and therefore, no execution has taken place since then,” noted Mwandenga.
“Therefore, Zambia is a de facto death penalty abolitionist. However, it is the view of the Commission that this is not adequate. The government is still expected to abolish the death penalty both by law and practice by ratifying the second optional protocol to the international convention on civil and political rights which abolishes the death penalty.”
At the same event, justice minister Given Lubinda said: “You will realise that a number of (UPR) recommendations, if not all of them, emanate from many years of lack of or inadequate necessary reforms aimed at enhancing human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Patriotic Front government is determined to break away with that unfavourable past record and we have embarked on a robust programme of legal and institutional reforms in order to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights. As [a] Minister of Justice, I want to assure you [that] we mean business. We want to reform our country!”
