Sunday, July 25, 2021

Good News

 Sierra Leone has become the 23rd country on the continent to end capital punishment. MPs voted unanimously to abandon the punishment of the death sentence.

Rhiannon Davis, director of the women’s rights group AdvocAid, said: “It’s a huge step forward for this fundamental human right in Sierra Leone."

Davis said the abolition would be particularly beneficial to women and girls accused of murdering an abuser.

“Previously, the death penalty was mandatory in Sierra Leone, meaning a judge could not take into account any mitigating circumstances, such as gender-based violence,” she said.

 In April, Malawi ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional, while Chad abolished it in 2020.

Of those countries that retain the death penalty on their statute books, 17 are abolitionist in practice, according to Amnesty International.

Sierra Leone abolishes death penalty | Global development | The Guardian

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