More on the execution

Indian Pacific Railway, New South Wales, Australia.
March 27, 2004


We have learned the following about the troublesome death penalty case from a valuable source at the United Nations:

1. The guilty man is one Emmanuel Kpah, found guilty of murder. He has been in pretrial detention since January 2005.

2. On September 7, 2006 Mr. Kpah was sentenced to the death penalty, by public hanging, scheduled for September 29, 2006.

3. Liberia DOES still have the death sentence in the Constitution. However, on September 16, 2005 Liberia signed an "International Covenant of Civil and political Rights aiming at the Abolition of the death penalty."

4. An appeal is in progress and the supreme court will most likely be changing the ruling to life in prison.

5. A death warrant would have to be signed by the president to be carried out.

6. 1978 was the last time the death sentence was carried out in liberia.



Thanks very much to the friends who have written in with advice and encouragement.