N'Djamena - Chad passed a new anti-terrorism law on Tuesday
that abolishes the death penalty for terrorism-related crimes in the
West African country, parliament announced.
The new law replaces legislation that was introduced on July 30,
2015, which made acts of terrorism punishable by death.
The death penalty was reinstated for terror crimes - after the
government said in 2014 it would be abolished - because of attacks by
the militia group Boko Haram in the capital of N'Djamena, which left
67 dead, including 10 suicide bombers, and 182 injured.
The move now abolishes the death penalty in Chad overall.
At the time, civil and human rights groups were opposed to the move,
concerned that it could be used to curb rights.
In 2018, after four prisoners were sentenced to death in Chad, the
European Union called on the government to join the majority of
African Union states that had abolished the death penalty.
Boko Haram, meanwhile, continues to pose a threat to communities in
Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.
Since 2009, tens of thousands of people have died at the hands of the
Sunni fundamentalists in the region and an estimated 2.5 million
people have fled their homes.