Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned practice of killing a person as a punishment for a crime, usually following an authorised, rule-governed process to conclude that the person is responsible for violating norms that warrant said punishment. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in such a manner is known as a death sentence, and the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. A prisoner who has been sentenced to death and awaits execution is condemned and is commonly referred to as being "on death row". Etymologically, the term capital refers to execution by beheading, but executions are carried out by many methods, including hanging, shooting, lethal injection, stoning, electrocution, and gassing.
Politics of Malawi takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malawi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. There is a cabinet of Malawi that is appointed by the President of Malawi. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
John Zenus Ungapake Tembo was a Malawian politician who served for years as President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Tembo comes from the Dedza District in central Malawi, and he was a teacher by profession. Beginning in the 1960s he was an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda (1964–1994). He has been variously described as "physically slight, ascetic, fastidious" and "cunning". He was replaced as President of the MCP in August 2013.
Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, who served as President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and the Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012. She has served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Taiwan. The long list of capital offences, for which the death penalty can be imposed, includes murder, treason, drug trafficking, piracy, terrorism, and especially serious cases of robbery, rape, and kidnapping, as well as for military offences, such as desertion during war time. In practice, however, all executions in Taiwan since the early 2000s have been for murder.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Malaysian law.
Capital punishment in the Republic of Ireland was abolished in statute law in 1990, having been abolished in 1964 for most offences including ordinary murder. The last person to be executed by the British state on the island of Ireland was Robert McGladdery, who was hanged on 20 December 1961 in Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The last person to be executed by the state in the Republic of Ireland was Michael Manning, hanged for murder on 20 April 1954. All subsequent death sentences in the Republic of Ireland, the last handed down in 1985, were commuted by the President, on the advice of the Government, to terms of imprisonment of up to 40 years. The Twenty-first Amendment to the constitution, passed by referendum in 2001, prohibits the reintroduction of the death penalty, even during a state of emergency or war. Capital punishment is also forbidden by several human rights treaties to which the state is a party.
Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.
Raphael Kasambara was a Malawian lawyer, jurist, academic and convicted criminal who served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. He served twice as Attorney General under the administration of Presidents Bingu wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda, before being removed from office following allegations of involvement in the 2013 Malawi Capital Hill Cashgate Scandal. He was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in jail in 2016 for conspiracy to murder a civil servant and had been on bail at the time of his death.
Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is a Malawian politician and theologian who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020. He has served as the leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013. He was President of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Malawi provides legal advice and services to the government's ministries and departments, as well as the general public. The Ministry represents the government in civil litigation cases and prosecute criminal cases on behalf of the State, drafts legislation, and vets agreements and treaties on behalf of the government. The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs contains the following departments:
Capital punishment in Malawi is a legal punishment for certain crimes. The country abolished the death penalty following a Malawian Supreme Court ruling in 2021, but it was soon reinstated. However, the country is currently under a death penalty moratorium, which has been in place since the latest execution in 1992.
Abel Kayembe is a Malawian politician, researcher and entrepreneur. He is the Member of Parliament for Dowa West Constituency in Malawi for Malawi Congress Party and former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Simplex Chithyola Banda is a Malawian politician and educator who is the current Minister of Trade and Industry in Malawi from February 2023. He is a Member of Parliament for Kasungu South Constituency from Malawi Congress Party.
Samuel Dalitso Kawale is a Malawian politician and a social worker who is the current Minister of Agriculture of Malawi from October 25, 2022. He is a Member of Parliament for Dowa North East Constituency.
Richard Chimwendo Banda is a Malawian politician and educator who is the current Minister of Local Government,Unity and Culture, Leader of Government Business in Parliament, National Youth Director for the ruling MCP. He went to Mwanza Secondary School Unity, and Culture in Malawi from January 2022. He is a Member of Parliament for Dowa East Constituency. In July 2020, he was Minister of Homeland Security before being replaced by Jean Muonaowauza Sendeza in 2022.
Samuel Tembenu is a Malawian politician and educator who was former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Malawi from 2014 to 2019. He is a Member of Parliament for Dedza North East Constituency. He was preceded by Bright Msaka (2019–2020).
Bon Kalindo also known as Winiko is a Malawian activist, comedian, politician and actor. In 2023, Kalindo protested against the Malawi Congress Party whose president is Lazarus Chakwera, the current president of Malawi, to step down out of presidency due to devaluation of the country's currency. He was arrested several times. On 30 August 2023, he was arrested and released out of the prison the same day.
Katelele Ching'oma was a Malawian musical artist and songwriter known for his breakthrough hit song "Asowe" in 2009 and other songs. He released his debut album Ndili Nawo Mwayi in 2011.
