Human rights groups are closely monitoring Sierra Leone, where the country’s constitution is being reviewed for the first time in more than 20 years.
The West African nation is one of several in the region that has capital punishment on the statutes, although only one person in the country is currently on ‘death row’ and the last execution took place back in 1998. Amnesty International and other human rights groups are pushing to see the death penalty abolished in the next constitution.
Ibrahim Tommy, executive director for the Centre of Accountability and Rule of Law in Sierra Leone, says there are many reasons to have it abolished. “It is reversibility, is one,” he said. “Once you are executed, even if additional information, new evidence appears, there is no way you can get your life back.”
Constitutional Review Committee Secretary Augustine Sheku says the committee will be looking at the death penalty, but it is an entrenched clause. “Now because it is an entrenched clause, it means government by itself or parliament by itself cannot in any way review or change it without consulting the people,” Sheku said, hinting at a referendum.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice Frank Kargbo says: “It is better we just do one referendum [covering the whole constitution] as opposed to having a separate one, just to amend section 16.”
Solomon Sogbandi, director for Amnesty’s chapter in Freetown says Amnesty has been doing outreach to educate people that the death penalty is a violation of the right to life according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International is also urging the government of Sierra Leone to support a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions at the 2014 UN General Assembly in December.
According to Amnesty International, 682 people were executed worldwide in 2012. The number of people sentenced to death fell from 1,923 in 2011 to 1,722 in 2012.
Sierra Leone’s constitutional review process is expected to last at least two years.
