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News release

Batswana heavily favour continued use of the death penalty, new Afrobarometer survey shows

23 Jan 2025 Botswana
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News release
Key findings
  • More than eight in 10 Batswana (81%) believe that the death penalty is an appropriate form of punishment for the most serious crimes, such as murder (Figure 1).
  • While support for the death penalty is strong across the board, women are more likely to support it than men (86% vs. 77%), as are older citizens compared to the youngest adults (85% vs. 75%) (Figure 2).
  • Almost four in 10 Batswana (38%) say people “often” or “always” receive unequal treatment by the legal system, while 56% say this “rarely” or “never” happens (Figure 3).

An overwhelming majority of Batswana are in favour of maintaining capital punishment for  the most serious crimes despite international criticism of the practice, a new Afrobarometer  survey indicates. 

The protection of human rights has become a topical issue in Botswana politics, including  questions about the legitimacy of the death penalty. Neighbouring Zimbabwe abolished the  death penalty last month, leaving Botswana as the only country in the Southern Africa region  that still uses the death penalty. The country has averaged one execution a year since 2019 and currently has 16 inmates on Death Row. 

Critics of the death penalty argue that the law is often applied unequally to different groups  in society. In Botswana, a sizeable minority of respondents say that the legal system in  general treats people unequally, while a majority say such inequality is rare or non-existent.