On the occasion of Africa Day, the President of Zambia made a stunning announcement. President Hakainde Hichilema announced his plans to completely abolish the death penalty row. Since its announcement, several supporters have come ahead to share their support. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a noted businessman and philanthropist from Zambia, is one of them. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is the owner of several top companies in Zambia including Mahtani Group and Finsbury Investments among others. He is also the owner of philanthropic contributions including Prison Fellowship Zambia, which is a noted Christian Outreach Program established by Dr. Rajan Mahtani more than three decades ago. Since its establishment, Prison Fellowship has been working towards bringing the learnings and teachings of the Almighty God to the prisoners, ex-prisoners as well as 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 human dignity.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani, in his interview with the ‘Mast Newspaper’, stated that there is a significant difference between making such announcements and ensuring that they see the light of the day. This is due to significant corruption within the Zambian government, bureaucracy, and unethical practices. However, Prison Fellowship will provide legal and regulatory support to the President in all its endeavors furthermore, Dr. Rajan Mahtani added his voice to support the decision of the President by stating that the death penalty does not provide any solution for the Zambian Government. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani further stated that there are hundreds of prisoners across Zambian prisons and they along with other prisoners are already suffering due to the unhealthy and dangerous environment of these prisons. Furthermore, several initiatives are underway in Zambia wherein the Zambian government is collaborating with institutes like the Parole Board and Correctional Facilities for systematic release of prisoners and decongestion of prisons. As such, the announcement by the Zambian President is a step in the right direction.