Seven people were executed by firing squad early on Thursday in the Chadian capital Ndjamena in the first application of capital punishment in the desert country since 1991.
An eighth person was executed at the same time in the eastern town of Abeche, said Territorial Administration Minister Routouang Yoma Golom.
Four of those executed in Ndjamena had been sentenced to death for the September 25 murder of a Sudanese businessman and lawmaker, while the other three were convicted in other cases.
They were executed at an army shooting range in the presence of Golom, justice minister and chief prosecutor, and Chadian journalists.
The Chadian League of Human Rights had on Wednesday denounced the upcoming execution of the four for the murder of Sudanese oilman Acheik Ibni Oumar Idriss Youssouf.
The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) had also issued a statement urging the authorities to stay the executions and adopt a moratorium ”with the final goal of abolishing the death penalty.” – AFP
