UK opposes upholding of death penalty

United Kingdom (UK) has expressed disappointment with the decision by the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal to uphold the death penalty, saying it runs counter to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution for the moratorium on the use of the penalty.

In her statement on the death penalty in Malawi, Charge d’Affaires, Fiona Ritchie, has asked the government and Malawi Parliament to explore alternative ways of removing death penalty from the statute books.

Ritchie says UK believes that the death penalty undermines human dignity, as there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value and any miscarriage of justice is irreversible and irreparable.

“We would like to acknowledge and respect the judicial independence. The final perfected judgment in the Khoviwa case that was brought before the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal clarified that the constitutionality of the death penalty was not part of the original case,” reads the statement in part.

Ritchie said Britain welcomes the debate and interest the case has created for the abolition of the death penalty in Malawi.

She said this has demonstrated popular support for the removal of the death penalty from Malawi’s legislative framework.

“It also increased Malawi’s international reputation for standing up for human rights. The African continent has joined the growing trend towards abolition of the death penalty worldwide, with 80 percent of the members of the African Union having already abolished the death penalty in law or in practice and we should encourage the government and Parliament of Malawi to explore alternative ways of removing the death penalty from the statute books,” narrates Ritchie.

She assures of her government’s commitment to share its experience with the process of abolishing the death penalty.

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