July 19, 2021
Hon. Alusine Kanneh-Deputy Chief Whip of Parliament.
MOHAMED M. SESAY
As the Fourth Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, commenced debate on the abolition of the death penalty, the Deputy Chief Whip of Sierra Leone’s House of Parliament Hon. Alusine Kanneh, has described President Bio as a God fearing President and someone who believes in Human Rights.
He was alluding to the fact that (President Bio has kept to his manifesto promise in abolition of the death penalty.
Hon. Kanneh furthered that President Bio’s decision to abolish the death penalty is something that he has maximum respect for, encouraging other Members of Parliament to embrace and endorse.
He added that someone might make an unfounded allegation against another person and at the end of the day a death penalty is imposed the innocent person resulting to death.
Hon. Kanneh also mentioned an instance wherein the former Internal Affairs Minister Paolo Conteh, went on and cleaned the gallows at Pademba Road prison with a view to kill people whom he believed were troublemakers to the state.
He emphasized that the president kept to his promise by ensuring that there will be no more gallows to execute persons irrespective of whatever crime one might have committed.
“Mr. Speaker Honorable Members of Parliament, this government is a government of credibility, transparency, accountability and a government that believes in human right and the right to life. Mr. Speaker, the president promised in his Manifesto that he will abolish the death penalty in good faith and we are now debating on the abolition of the death penalty. The death penalty has been in existence for a very long time even before I was born’, said Hon. Kanneh.
Hon. Kanneh concluded that they are very happy as Members of Parliament for the reason that the president kept his promise in ensuring that the death penalty is abolished in the law book of the country. He reiterated that Sierra Leone believes in human rights and the rule of law and the president equally believes in the rule of law. He asserted that the president believes in the doctrine that every human being should continue to enjoy his/her right to life without any judicial and extra judicial killings.