3 hours agoAnother country removes its death penalty
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)The Sierra Leone Assembly on Friday unanimously voted to remove the death penalty from the justice system more than two decades since the recent implementation of this sentence in the small West African state. President Julius Maada Bio is expected to soon sign the new law, which makes Sierra [...]
President Julius Maada Bio is expected to soon sign the new law, which makes Sierra Leone the 23rd African state the most severe punishment.
This law also provides more discretion to judges about serving sentences. Opposers of the death penalty say that this is particularly important in cases where the condemned person is a victim of sexual violence.
Sierra Leone has implemented a memorandum for failing to implement the death penalty since 1998, but prisoners sentenced to death are still being held in separate cells with other prisoners. Activists say this is not human.
In addition to Sierra Leone, Malawi's Supreme Court named this unconstitutional year the death penalty, while Chad ended his death sentences for those charged with terrorism last year.
The recent executions in Sierra Leone were conducted in 1998, when 23 soldiers were executed by the fire squad at the height of an 11-year civil war.
