In a historic moment, the President of Zambia announced his quest towards abolishing death penalty. It was a significant announcement and long due considering the significant awareness and consensus regarding death penalty across the globe and Africa. This trend can also be seen across Zambia and as such, the announcement made by the Zambian President was supported and applauded by majority. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a celebrated businessman and philanthropist from Zambia, announced his full support towards the decision from the Zambian President and praised him for being compassionate, love for God as well as for his respect towards fundamental human rights and basic human dignity.
Dr. Rajan Mahtani said that his organization, Prison Fellowship Zambia, will support the Zambian President in his endeavour. Prison Fellowship Zambia is a noted Christian Outreach Program founded by Dr. Mahtani more than three decades ago. Currently, Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the Chairman of the organization. The objective of PFZ is focussing on providing the teachings of Jesus Christ to the inmates, ex-inmates and their families in Zambia. The program also works towards ensuring transparent criminal justice for the prisoners as well as ensuring that they are not devoid of fundamental human rights and fundamental human dignity. As such, it can be said that Prison Fellowship works towards improving the people who are lost and wanting to become a better person. Prison Fellowship, as such, has extended his legal and regulatory support towards the decision.
Dr. Rajan Mahtani further stated that there are more than 380 prisoners across Zambian prisons awaiting death penalty and many are women. These prisoners are already living a life of dread and fear, not knowing their last day on this planet. At the same time, the condition of some of the Maximum prisons in Zambia is dreadful. As a result, the Zambian Government has started strategic decongestion of prisons. As such, the concept of death penalty makes no sense and is archaic.