In the Central African Republic (CAR), the deputies adopted a law abolishing the death penalty and the use of torture. This victory for human rights organizations is also a cause of frustration for some victims. The country is currently judging the perpetrators of the civil war in which CAR has been experiencing for several years.
"It's a shame to pass a law that can influence people who kill, thinking there will be no punishment. So they're going to keep killing people," urges an anonymous victim of the civil war.
This law marks a turning point and a victory for the human rights organisations and Central African Association for the Fight against Torture and the Death Penalty (ACAT). Moreover, as some lawyers point out, the abolition of the death penalty is not synonymous with impunity. If the death penalty is not pronounced, other sentences may be life sentences or jail for 20 and 30 years.
Since the last death sentence in 1981, the associations for the defense of human rights fought for the abolition of the law. The organizations point out that no statistics in the world established the supposed "deterrent effect" of the death penalty. There is no increase in criminality observed in countries following the abolition of the death penalty.
The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the 24th African country to abolish the death penalty, which has been in a de facto moratorium since 1981. Some 170 states have abolished or introduced moratoriums on the death penalty, in law or practice.
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