Sierra Leone government moves to abolish death penalty

 

 Sierra Leone's government will move to abolish the death penalty in the West African state, deputy justice minister Umaru Napoleon Koroma said on Wednesday.
No execution has taken place in the country since 1998, and death penalties are often commuted.
Sierra Leone, which is still recovering after decades of civil war, has frequently come under fire from rights groups for keeping capital punishment on the books.
"Once the legislation goes to parliament and gets approved, that ends the story of the death penalty," Koroma told AFP.

He added that the cabinet of President Julius Maada Bio had decided to push to abolish capital punishment in order to "uphold the fundamental human rights of Sierra Leoneans".
The date of the cabinet's decision is unclear.
But the government announced the move on Wednesday during a review of Sierra Leone's human rights record at the United Nations, Koroma said.
The European Union's ambassador to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens, congratulated Bio on the move.
"We will continue to partner with you in promoting a progressive human rights agenda," he tweeted.