Togo unanimously vote to abolish the death penalty

June 24, 2009

The parliament of Togo has unanimously voted to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who had been campaigning for a global moratorium on the death penalty, witnessed the vote. Zapatero commented on the vote, calling it a “giant step for Togo”.

Togo’s Justice Minister Kokuo Tozoun said "I think that it's the best decision that we took in this year... we don't have the right to give death to someone if we know that death is not a good thing to give."

According to human rights organisation Amnesty International, Togo has become the 15th African nation to abolish the death penalty and the 94th country in the world to do so.

There were around 6 inmates on death row in Togo despite the fact that an execution had not been carried out since 1978. Those on death row will have the sentence changed to life imprisonment.