Almost half of African countries do not execute convicted prisoners, Amnesty International said in a statement on Monday.
”Amnesty International welcomes positive action across Africa to abolish capital punishment,” the international body said in a statement.
The statement was issued while government officials from the continent converged for a two-day meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, to discuss the matter. The meeting started on Monday.
Amnesty International said most Commonwealth African countries have been moving towards abolition of the death penalty over the past 10 years.
Five Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have abolished capital punishment since 1990 — Angola, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
”Other SADC countries have made positive progress,” the organisation said, adding that Malawian convicted prisoners have not been executed since 1992 although capital punishments remain in the country’s statute books.
”[Malawian] President [Bakili] Muluzi has made a personal commitment not to sign execution orders while in office.”
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa made a similar commitment, and has commuted 60 death sentences so far this year, the international organisation said.
The number of countries from the Economic Community of West African States region and Mauritania that have legally scrapped the death penalty or have not carried out executions over the past 10 years has risen from one to 10.
”Only Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have carried out executions in the last decade,” the organisation said.
It said the last person to be executed in Nigeria was hanged on January 3 2001, as far as Amnesty International is aware.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has repeatedly opposed the death penalty, formed the National Study Group on the Death Penalty (NSGDP) in November last year.
”[The] mandate [of the NSGDP is] to conduct a national debate on the issue and to make recommendations to the federal government by June 2004.
”Amnesty International is urging the NSGDP to recommend a complete abolition of the death penalty for all crimes.”
In 1990, only Cape Verde had no provision for capital punishment in its legislation.
By 2002, 10 countries in Africa had de jure abolished the death penalty, while 10 others had de facto abolished it.
No executions were carried out in Kenya since the 1980s and in 2003 President Mwai Kibaki commuted 195 death sentences.
”Worldwide, an average of three countries a year abolishes capital punishment. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. It is a violation of the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, degrading and inhumane punishment,” the international body said. — Sapa