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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Gambia suspends death penalty in step towards abolition | Gambia suspends death penalty in step towards abolition |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| President Adama Barrow announces that he wants to abolish executions in his country | President Adama Barrow announces that he wants to abolish executions in his country |
| Agence France-Presse in Banjul | |
| Mon 19 Feb 2018 05.04 GMT | Mon 19 Feb 2018 05.04 GMT |
| Last modified on Mon 19 Feb 2018 15.57 GMT | |
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| Gambian President Adama Barrow has announced a suspension of the death penalty in his country, in a break from the former regime of the dictator Yahya Jammeh. | Gambian President Adama Barrow has announced a suspension of the death penalty in his country, in a break from the former regime of the dictator Yahya Jammeh. |
| Barrow, a onetime security guard in London who was elected president in December 2016, signed a UN treaty on the abolition of capital punishment last year. | Barrow, a onetime security guard in London who was elected president in December 2016, signed a UN treaty on the abolition of capital punishment last year. |
| “I will use this opportunity to declare a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the Gambia, as a first step towards abolition,” Barrow said in a speech marking the 53rd anniversary of independence from Britain. | “I will use this opportunity to declare a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the Gambia, as a first step towards abolition,” Barrow said in a speech marking the 53rd anniversary of independence from Britain. |
| Jammeh ruled Gambia, a small English-speaking country surrounded by Senegal and a narrow Atlantic coastline, with an iron fist for 22 years. | Jammeh ruled Gambia, a small English-speaking country surrounded by Senegal and a narrow Atlantic coastline, with an iron fist for 22 years. |
| The death penalty was last used under Jammeh in 2012, when nine soldiers were executed by firing squad. | The death penalty was last used under Jammeh in 2012, when nine soldiers were executed by firing squad. |
| Jammeh later threatened to expand a list of capital crimes in response to what he said was a rising crime rate. | Jammeh later threatened to expand a list of capital crimes in response to what he said was a rising crime rate. |
| Barrow said Sunday: “We have won the war against dictatorship, which is the easy part. Maintaining the peace for our democracy to thrive will be our utmost challenge.” | Barrow said Sunday: “We have won the war against dictatorship, which is the easy part. Maintaining the peace for our democracy to thrive will be our utmost challenge.” |
| He added that “mistakes will be made, but we will correct them as we work towards perfecting the New Gambia.” | He added that “mistakes will be made, but we will correct them as we work towards perfecting the New Gambia.” |
| Francophone west African nations such as Benin, the Republic of Congo and Guinea have all taken steps to end the death penalty in recent years, but English-speaking countries in the region have lagged behind. | Francophone west African nations such as Benin, the Republic of Congo and Guinea have all taken steps to end the death penalty in recent years, but English-speaking countries in the region have lagged behind. |
| Activists hope more states will follow Gambia’s example. | Activists hope more states will follow Gambia’s example. |
| The Gambia | The Gambia |
| Africa | Africa |
| Capital punishment | Capital punishment |
| news | news |
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