African Union appeals to African countries to abolish the death penalty

A conference, the first of its kind organized by the the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, was held in Kigali last week to discuss the use of the death penalty on the continent.

50 representatives of various African Union member states and national human rights commissions appealed to African countries to emulate Rwanda by abolishing the death penalty from their legal systems.

In 2007, Rwanda became the first country in the Great Lakes region to repeal the death penalty, making it the 100th worldwide to abolish capital punishment. 14 countries in Africa, including Rwanda, are now officially abolitionist for all crimes, while a further 18 are abolitionist in practice.

By the end of the conference, members agreed to support the abolition of the death penalty with a formal moratorium to which governments may be held accountable. An initiative that Reprieve can only applaud.