According to a new law signed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea, one of the most autocratic nations in the world, has abolished the death sentence. State television made the announcement on Monday.
Following the president’s signature of a new penal law, which the vice president posted on Twitter, the death penalty was ‘completely abolished’ in the oil-rich central African country.
According to Amnesty International, the latest execution in the tiny nation took place in 2014. Nevertheless, international NGOs and the United Nations frequently accuse the government of torture, arbitrary detention, and forced disappearances.
More than 30 African nations still have the capital sentence on the books, but only around half have recently carried out executions.
The law was passed in advance by parliament, where 99 of the 100 MPs are members of the ruling party, and will go into effect 90 days after it is published in the state journal.
When monarchs are excluded, President Obiang, 80, has held office for more than 43 years, setting a world record.
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