On 12 April 2018, Amnesty International published its global report on the use of the death penalty during 2017. The figures in the report reaffirm the global trend towards abolition of the
death penalty. Only an isolated minority of countries continue to resort to executions. This positive trend is exemplified by the sub-Saharan Africa region, where Amnesty International recorded a drop in the number of executing countries. This statement, delivered at the 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, provides an overview of the state of the death penalty in Africa.
