Ending the Death Penalty in Africa

Africa

on 10 June 2022

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the International Federation of ACATs (FIACAT), along with their members on the ground, have joined together in a project whose main objective is to contribute the total abolition of the death penalty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The African continent is part of the international movement towards universal abolition. In 1990, only one country, Cap Verde, had abolished the death penalty. Today, out of the 55 African Union member States, 26 have abolished the death penalty in law, 15 are applying a long-term moratorium on executions while 15 retain capital punishment. Chad abolished the death penalty in April 2020 followed by Sierra Leone in October 2021. The abolitionnist trend continued in 2022 with the Central African Republic in June then followed by Zambia in December.

The regional dynamics carrying the African continent towards abolition of the death penalty, as well as the crucial mobilization of the abolitionist civil society are at the center of this on-going project and are what makes it particularly relevant. Since 2015, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the FIACAT, in partnership with its members, has engaged in a campaign that contains three main components:

STRENGTHENING AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY

The World Coalition and its members have focused on supporting its project partners by improving the lobbying and advocacy capacity of African civil society organizations on their path to abolishing capital penalty. To achieve this, the World Coalition:

  • Coordinates a mailing list for all partner organizations in sub-Saharan Africa to share information on the death penalty in Africa as well as on-going work within their organizations.
  • Supports the World Coalition’s member organizations in Africa to apply for funding.
  • Provides targeted trainings and How-To manuals on how to work with various abolitionist allies including:
  • Provided a manual for civil society based on good advocacy practices (below).

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE ACHPR WORKING GROUP ON THE DEATH PENALTY

The ACHPR Working Group on Death Penalty, Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Africa was established in 2005 during the 38th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR- since then the working group has grown and expanded. While its members are subject to change with the elections of the ACHPR itself, there are currently 3 Commissioners and 4 Experts who constitute the group.

The Working Group has been engaged in the fight for abolition on the African continent through various actions such as urgent appeals, press releases, adopting resolutions within the ACHPR and African Union, and seeking support for the adoption of the draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (see below).

The World Coalition, the FIACAT, and its members have been regularly attending public Ordinary Sessions of the ACHPR, and engaging with the Working Group to co-organize panels and make recommendations to African States to take steps to abolish.

SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF AN AFRICAN PROTOCOL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

In April 2015, during its 56th Ordinary Session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) put the abolition of the death penalty at the heart of its debates. They adopted a draft treaty to help the African Union member States to take steps at the regional level to solidify their commitment to abolition: a draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Africa. This draft regional treaty would provide a similar, voluntary structure as the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.

The World Coalition’s members, along with the FIACAT, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and Botswana-based NGO Ditshwanelo, as well as the ACHPR’s Working Group on the Death Penalty have worked relentlessly to seek support for the adoption of this regional treaty by the African Union.

 

Related document(s)

Document(s)

Study on the question of the death penalty in Africa

By African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights / Working Group on the Death Penalty in Africa, on 1 January 2011


2011

Book

fr
More details See the document

The document broadly looks at the historical, human rights law, and practical aspects of the death penalty. It takes a comprehensive approach to the question of the death penalty, bearing in mind the need to provide the African Commission with sufficient information that will enable it to take an informed position on the matter.

Document(s)

Leaflet on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Abolition of the Death Penalty

By FIACAT, on 1 January 2017


2017

Multimedia content

enfr
More details Download [ pdf - 345 Ko ]

To supplement and strengthen the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 66 of the Charter authorises the adoption of Protocols or special agreements. It is on this basis that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) – the African Union (AU) authority responsible for promoting and protecting human rights in Africa – proposed that the AU adopt a specific Protocol on the abolition of the death penalty that specifies that “the right to life is the foundation of all the other rights” and that “the abolition of the death penalty is vital for the effective protection” of this right.

Document(s)

Effective advocacy towards abolition of the death penalty in sub-Saharan Africa

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty / FIACAT, on 1 January 2018


2018

Lobbying

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 840 Ko ]

This manual has been written by the World Coalition against the death penalty (WCADP) in partnership with FIACAT.This tool is a guide for the advocacy towards abolition of the death penalty in sub-Saharan Africa. It became a capitalisation tool of the joint project between FIACAT and WCADP “Contributing to the abolition of the Death Penalty in sub-Saharan Africa”

Document(s)

How to Work with National Human Rights Institutions to Abolish the Death Penalty – A Practical Guide

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 17 November 2022


2022

Working with...

World Coalition

Trend Towards Abolition

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 2375 Ko ]

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) role as influential human rights actors is paramount, and as such their contributions to abolition of the death penalty should not be underestimated when developing an anti-death penalty strategy. Expertly written by the President of the of the Beninese Commission on Human Rights, this guide’s content has been bolstered by examples and advice coming from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the field. Working with NHRIs can seem like a daunting task, especially for civil society organizations that do not have previous experience working with them. As such, this guide has been specifically designed for abolitionist civil society groups around the world, both beginners and advanced activists, with a focus on the African continent.

News

Abolition in Africa- 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Abolition in Africa- 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Advocacy in Addis-Ababa

Advocating for the Adoption of the Draft Protocol by the African Union: A Step in the Right Direction for Abolition in Africa 

75th Ordinary Session of the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights

75th Ordinary Session of the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights 

eminar June, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya

East African Seminar on Best Practices in Kenya: A Key Gathering for the Abolitionist Movement on the Continent

Participants split into groups working on research practical exercises. Copyright World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, November 2022.

Advocacy Seminar Held in Berlin for French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa Members

73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights: In- Person, Advocating Against the Death Penalty

73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights: In- Person, Advocating Against the Death Penalty

How to work with national human rights institutions to abolish the death penalty

Publication of a New Guide on Working with National Human Rights Institutions to Abolish the Death Penalty

Abolition Africa

Africa : 3 abolitions of the death penalty in one year

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC BECOMES 24th AFRICAN STATE TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

Central African Republic Becomes 24th African State to Abolish the Death Penalty

ACHPR 71st Ordinary Session

71st Ordinary session of the African Commission: focus on torture and the death penalty

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Angola

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Benin

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Botswana

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Burkina Faso

Abolitionist for ordinary crimes onlyDeath penalty legal status

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Burundi

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Cameroon

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Cape Verde

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Central-African-Republic

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Chad

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Comoros

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Congo

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Côte d’Ivoire

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Djibouti

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Equatorial Guinea

Abolitionist for ordinary crimes onlyDeath penalty legal status

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Eritrea

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Ethiopia

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Gabon

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Gambia

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Ghana

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Guinea

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Guinea-Bissau

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Kenya

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Lesotho

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Liberia

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Madagascar

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Mali

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Mauritania

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Mauritius

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Mozambique

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Namibia

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Niger

Abolitionist in practiceDeath penalty legal status

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Nigeria

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Rwanda

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Sao Tome and Principe

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Senegal

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Seychelles

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Sierra Leone

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Somalia

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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South Africa

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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South Sudan

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Sudan

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Togo

Abolitionist for all crimesDeath penalty legal status

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Uganda

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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Zambia

Abolitionist for ordinary crimes onlyDeath penalty legal status

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Zimbabwe

RetentionistDeath penalty legal status

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