Following the passage of a report proposing the abolition of the death sentence last month, the parliament of Malawi has begun public inquiries in the capital, Lilongwe, on the idea.

It comes after parliament directed its Legal Affairs Committee to seek public input on the matter before potentially amending any legislation.

Malawi courts appeared to have abolished the death penalty in April last year when a Supreme Court judge heard a plea from a convicted killer and decided that the death penalty violates the right to life, which is otherwise guaranteed by Malawi’s constitution.

The judge then ordered that all instances where the death penalty was imposed be re-sentenced.

Four months later, however, the Supreme Court released a statement stating that the judge had stated his own view and that the death penalty remained in effect.

There has been an increasing clamor both locally and globally for Malawi to abolish the death sentence, especially because the country is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which prohibits punishment.

The public hearing on Tuesday is the first of three, with similar events scheduled for the northern city of Mzuzu and the southern city of Blantyre later this month.

There are presently 25 persons condemned to death in Malawi, however, none have been executed since 1994.

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