Lawmakers votes to abolish capital punishment

Sierra Leonean lawmakers on Friday voted to abolish the death penalty. Capital punishment will be replaced with life imprisonment or a minimum 30-year jail term for crimes such as murder or mutiny. A report on the News24 site notes that no execution has taken place in the country since 1998, and death sentences have frequently been commuted. However, 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. During a lively debate in the 146-member legislature on Friday, Mathew Nyumah, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party, urged MPs to vote for abolition. ‘Please understand this is something we are sacrificing to meet international best practice,’ he said. President Julius Maada Bio must still sign off on the abolition voted by Parliament before it becomes law.