Fin de la pena de muerte en Benín

Today, August 19, 2011, Benin has permanently abolished the death penalty and removed it from its judicial order after a long period of suspension of executions, thus becoming the 106th country in the world and 17th in Africa.

The Community of Sant’Egidio in recent years has accompanied the authorities of Benin to the abolition by cooperating in the legislative process, supporting the efforts of the Presidency, promoting awareness in the civil society in the last 5 years, and creating working groups within the International Conference of Ministers in Rome to tackle the remaining obstacles to the final abolition.

The Community of Sant’Egidio, therefore, expresses its satisfaction at this news, greeted with joy by members of Sant’Egidio present in Cotonou, Calavi, Paracou, Dassa, and many other cities of Benin, who have been waging a broad awareness campaign and collected signatures against the death penalty among the population for many years.