Zimbabwe has officially abolished the death penalty, marking a significant shift for a nation that last carried out an execution nearly 20 years ago.

Zimbabwe officially abolished the death penalty Tuesday after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law an act that will commute to jail time the sentences of about 60 prisoners on death row.The Death Penalty Abolition Act,

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa — who has not signed death warrants for those facing capital sentences since he came to power in 2017 — signed the death penalty abolition bill into law Dec. 31,

Countries that retain the death penalty often argue that the public supports it. In Zimbabwe, research helped challenge this narrative.