Uganda high court upholds death penalty but limits scope News
Uganda high court upholds death penalty but limits scope

[JURIST] Uganda's Court of Appeals [official website] Friday dismissed an appeal by death row inmates to ban capital punishment in the country but did find that laws mandating the death penalty for certain crimes are unconstitutional and require Parliamentary amendment. In a unanimous decision, Justice Galdino Okello [official profile] said the general death penalty was constitutional because it was "punishment after due process." In a narrower 3-2 decision, the court effectively outlawed mandatory death penalties for some crimes, a small victory that lawyers for the inmates acknowledged. Capital punishment is carried out by hanging in Uganda and the inmates claimed that this method, in addition to long delays prior to execution, amounted to cruel and inhumane treatment. AFP has more.