Chad’s National Assembly abolishes the death penalty for all crimes
On 28 April 2020, the National Assembly of Chad voted to amend its 2015 counter-terrorism bill, thus abolishing capital punishment for all existing capital crimes in the country.
I am delighted that Chad has now joined abolitionist States. I hope that our decision, and the years of work that preceded it, will inspire my fellow colleague parliamentarians around the world, and particularly in the Sahel. The death penalty has no deterrent effect on the attacks led against us; but its abolition is the symbol of our commitment to the very human rights those groups wish to deny us.Hon. Théophile Yombombé Madjitoloum
3rd Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Chad and PGA Member
The state of Colorado abolishes the death penalty
On 23 March 2020, Colorado became the 22nd state to abolish the death penalty, when its Governor Polis signed a bill which was adopted on 13 March by the state’s legislature after more than 30 hours of debate.
Positive Developments
Setbacks
Nigerian courts issue death sentences via video-link due to Covid-19 pandemic
President of Peru announces his government is not excluding reintroducing the death penalty for feminicides and sexual crimes (only in Spanish)
Murder case revives debate around initiative to reinstate the death penalty in Mexico (only in Spanish)
New Reports and Resources
Death Sentences and Executions in 2019 – Amnesty International’s annual report on the use of death penalty across the world
“Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Completely” – Interview with Hon. Dorcas Sibanda, Member of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and PGA Member
“Silently Waiting for Death: Conditions of detention for death row inmates in the Democratic Republic of Congo” – Report by Ensemble contre la peine de mort and Culture pour la paix et la justice (available only in French).