Old Testament Zambia

Old Testament Scripture speaks of stoning a person if:

• they "give any seed unto Molech" (Lev 20:2)
• have a familiar spirit or that is a wizard (Lev 20:27)
• they blaspheme the name of the LORD or curse (Lev 24:16)
• they break the Sabbath (Num 15:35)
• they entice others to fall away from the true God and serve idols (Deut 13:10)
• they serve other gods and worship either the sun, moon, or any host of heaven (Deut 17:3-5)
• they have a stubborn or rebellious son (Deut 21:18-21)
• they play the whore (Deut 22:21)

Of course, Scripture does say there should be two or three witnesses before someone can be put to death (Deut 17:6). The witnesses are to begin the stoning and the rest of the congregation must join in. [due process] In Zambia, this system of justice (although not officially ordained) continues to be upheld even for such "minor" crimes as that of stealing.

By Times Reporter (Aug 7, 2007)

AN instant justice mob in Lusaka’s Ng’ombe township on Tuesday night stoned to death a suspected thief after he allegedly attempted to steal from a house.
The mob stripped the suspect of his clothes before descending on him using big stones, killing him on the spot.
By the time police arrived at the scene, the man had already died and the mob almost vented their anger on officers for stopping them from stoning the suspect.
Eyewitnesses said the body of the deceased was later taken to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where it was confirmed dead.
Early last week, two people died after being stabbed to death by unknown people in the same township.
The recent Ng’ombe attacks are attributed to the absence of a police post in the area, which was destroyed by riotous residents after police killed two teenagers last year.
Meanwhile, in the continued effort to clamp down on criminals, police between Monday and yesterday morning arrested over 200 people for loitering from various townships.