The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dawda A. Jallow has said that the government is working to end the death penalty.. Capital punishment is still part of the law in The Gambia.
During a question-and-answer session at the National Assembly Jallow said the government’s current plan is to remove the death penalty. He pointed to changes in the law as proof that this goal is being pursued.
“The current plan of this government is to stop the death penalty. We have taken steps toward this ” Jallow told the lawmakers.
The Justice Minister mentioned the government’s Criminal Offences Act and other related laws as part of the changes meant to help with this process.
Jallow made it clear there is a difference between stopping executions and removing the death penalty from the law.
A moratorium means that executions are not carried out.. The death penalty is still part of the law. That means a new government could bring back executions unless the law is changed for good.
This means that even though no one has been executed since 2017 the death penalty is still allowed by law in The Gambia.
Jallow’s comments show that the government no longer uses executions as a policy.. It has not finished the work needed to take the death penalty out of the law completely.
The government’s stance is part of efforts in The Gambia to change its criminal justice system and the constitution. These changes started after 2017. They followed years of problems with rights and the use of the death penalty, under the government.
For the death penalty to be gone for good the government must change the parts of the law that allow it. It cannot just depend on stopping executions for now.
