Renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty at the NGO forum and the 59th Session of the ACHPR

Homepage The campaign for the abolition of the death penalty on the African continent Renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty at the NGO forum and the 59th Session of the ACHPR

- African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
  Renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty at the NGO forum and the 59th Session of the ACHPR
  Article by Jessica Corredor published on November 25th, 2016
  At the end of October, the civil society gathered for the NGO Forum preceding the 59th African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR): an occasion to put the death penalty on the agenda of the African Commission and to make the calls for the abolition heard. Nonetheless, difficulties on the path towards the abolition in the African continent remain.
- From 17 to 19 October, 2016 the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 59^th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR (NGO Forum) took place in Banjul, The Gambia. The NGO Forum is an advocacy platform for civil society organisations that gives them the opportunity to share information and adopt resolutions on questions that will be reviewed by the ACHPR during its session. These resolutions are then submitted to the ACHPR.
  
  During the NGO Forum, a panel: “Abolition of the mandatory death penalty in Africa: An immediate step towards full realization of the right to life” was organised by WCADP, FIACAT, FIDH, Ditshwanelo and IBA. The debate addressed the issue of mandatory death penalty and focused on the death penalty applied to women, with the testimony of Susan Kigula. Susan is a survivor of the death penalty and one of the leading petitioners before the Ugandan Constitutional Court for the abolition of the mandatory death penalty in her country, and was released from prison in January 2016. She gave a message of hope to those who are still on death row and wrapped up her presentation by saying: “You can get someone out of the prison, but not of the grave”.
  
  Many African NGOs participated in the Specific Interest Group on the death penalty on the second day of the NGO Forum. Upon the discussion, a draft resolution on the death penalty was submitted to the ACHPR by the Forum, but was not adopted by the Commission.
  
  Call for support on the draft African protocol to the African Charter on the abolition of the death penalty
  
  On 26 October 2016, the Working Group on the Death penalty and extra-judiciary killings organised a panel on extrajudicial killings and the death penalty with special emphasize on the rights of women in Africa. The event saw the participation of representatives of the civil society, governments, and the African Commission.
  
  The World Coalition, represented by its members FIACAT and FIDH was invited as a speaker during this panel and had the opportunity to show the global trend towards abolition in Africa and to call on African Union member states to support the draft African protocol to the African Charter on the abolition of the death penalty.
  
  After the panel, the state delegates from Algeria, Chad, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and Niger, all countries which apply a moratorium on the death penalty, took the floor in order to express their position and present the difficulties encountered in the path towards abolition. Moreover, several National Human Rights Institutions and NGOs took the floor to ask for the abolition of the capital punishment in their countries.
- Same issue
  - Africa Parliamentarians from French-speaking Africa commit to the abolition of the death penalty Article by Jessica Corredor published on January 17th, 2017
  - Protocol São Tomé and Príncipe ratifies OP2 and approves total and definitive abolition of the death penalty Article by Elise Guillot published on January 18th, 2017
  - Africa Towards the abolition of the death penalty in DRC: advances to be confirmed Article by Olivier LUNGWE FATAKI - Pax Christi Uvira published on December 13th, 2016
  - World Day Africa raises its voice against the death penalty Article by Tiziana Trotta published on October 21st, 2016
  - African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 58th Extraordinary Session of the ACHPR: a strong commitment of African states to a treaty providing the abolition of the death penalty Article by Guillaume Colin published on April 14th, 2016
  - Africa African Commission adopts draft Protocol on abolition Article by Maria Donatelli published on April 24th, 2015
  - Africa In Cameroon, the abolitionist network grows Article by Nestor Toko and Jessica Corredor published on October 28th, 2016
  - Africa Abolition of the death penalty in Guinea Article by Marion Gauer published on July 05th, 2016
  - Africa The abolitionists’ forum in Niger: a great success Article by Garba Illou Almoctar and Elise Guillot published on November 22nd, 2016
  - Africa Pardon Prisoners On Death Row Article by Lucy Peace Nantume published on November 08th, 2016
  - Protocol ACAT-CI commits to the ratification of OP2 in Côte d’Ivoire Article by N'guettia Yves Arsene Kouadio - ACAT Côte d'Ivoire published on January 04th, 2017
  - Good News Tanzania: President Magufuli declares his position against the death penalty. Article by Thalia Gerzso published on September 20th, 2017
  - Good News Gambia and Madagascar commit to irreversible abolition Article by Aurelie Placais published on September 22nd, 2017
  - Democratic Republic of the Congo: the abolitionists organize workshops for journalists Article by Thalia Gerzso published on September 25th, 2017
  - Africa Makwanyane Institute Is Launched at Cornell Law School Article by Sherrie Negrea, Cornell Law School published on July 17th, 2017
  - Africa Toward the abolition in Cameroon Article by Lorène du Crest et Nicolas Perron published on July 06th, 2017
  - African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights A major abolitionist gathering for the 60th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights in Niger Article by Jessica Corredor published on May 19th, 2017
  - Report 12 Years Without an Execution: Is Zimbabwe Ready for Abolition? Article by Death Penalty Project published on May 24th, 2018
  - ACHPR The death penalty at the heart of the debates of the 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Article by Guillaume Colin - Jessica Corredor published on May 15th, 2018
  - Joint Statement Mandatory Death Penalty for Blasphemy in Mauritania Article by World Coalition Against the death penalty published on May 11th, 2018
  - Report “Unknown Assailants: A Threat to Human Rights” Article by Legal Human Rights Centre published on May 04th, 2018
  - Regional Congress “It’s in Africa that we find the strongest dynamics towards abolition” Article by Clémentine Etienne published on April 24th, 2018
  - Statement World Coalition welcomes the success of the Regional Congress in Africa Article by World Coalition Against the Death Penalty published on April 12th, 2018
  - Good news The Supreme Court of Kenya declares the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional Article by Thalia Gerzso published on January 23rd, 2018
  - ACHPR « A new Gambia » welcomes the 61st session of the ACHPR Article by FIACAT and World Coalition against the Death Penalty published on November 21st, 2017
  - World Day Strong mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa on World Day Article by Thalia Gerzso published on October 19th, 2017
  - Africa Innocent and Sentenced to Die: Wrongful Incarceration on Nigeria's Death Row Video published on October 14th, 2016
- Worldwide database
  Gambia
- Death penalty law status:
  
  Retentionist
  
  Geographical region:
  
  Africa (Western Africa)
  
  Method(s) of execution:
  
  Shooting, Hanging
  
  Year of last execution:
  
  2012
  
  Executions in :
  
  0
- Source: Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law
- Last updated: 9 September 2012
- Keywords
- Moratorium Public debate Trend Towards Abolition Mandatory Death Penalty Country/Regional profiles
- Other Articles
- Statistics Increased use of the death penalty in Egypt since 2013
- Abolition New Hampshire: 21st State to Abolish the Death Penalty in the USA
- International Standards Follow-up to the initiative on the conditions of detention and treatment of death row prisoners