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Over 200 prisoners on death row

The passing of death sentences on 59 soldiers involved in an attempted 1997 coup has pushed to over 200 the total number of prisoners awaiting execution in Zambia, news reports said. The sentencing of the soldiers two-weeks-ago has fuelled calls for an end to the death penalty, the African Eye News Service reported. Already an estimated 168 murder and aggravated robbery convicts are on death row in Kabwe Maximum Security Prison, some for as long as a decade. The last executions in Zambia were carried out in 1997 when eight people were hung - all had been convicted between 1982-1990.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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