clipped from: matadorchange.com   

Togo Abolishes the Death Penalty


06/24/09


This week, the African nation of Togo became the world’s 94th country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.

In the United States, capital punishment–or, put more bluntly, the death penalty– remains a deeply divisive issue.


In other countries, however, Amnesty International reports the death penalty abolition movement is gaining support, and they signal Togo legislators’ unanimous repeal of capital punishment earlier this week as the most recent proof of this trend.


Togo is the 15th African Union member nation to abolish the death penalty for all types of crimes, though it’s not likely to be the last: Mali is considering a similar move.


To see a full list of the countries that reject the death penalty as a form of punishment for all crimes, click here.

clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk   

Country profile: Togo


Togo, a narrow strip of land on Africa's west coast

Map of Togo

Full name: Togolese Republic

Population: 6.8 million

Capital: Lome

Major languages: French (official), local languages