International Mechanism Submissions

The Advocates for Human Rights, along with The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, submitted a joint report on the death penalty in Angola for the 125th Session of the Human Rights Committee.

Angola has demonstrated its commitment to making its abolition of the death penalty permanent, but it has not yet ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant. Angola abolished the death penalty in 1992. Angola has demonstrated its commitment to abolition by voting in favor of and co-sponsoring the seven resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. On 24 September 2013, Angola signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but it has not yet ratified the Protocol.

The authors of the list of issues suggest several questions for the Government of Angola:

• In what part of the ratification process, in accordance with the Law on Treaties (Law No. 4/11), is the government of Angola in relation to ratifying the Second Optional Protocol?
• Please describe the steps already taken in the ratification process and the State Party's plans and timeline to complete the process.
• Will the government of Angola give a conceivable date in time in which the Second Optional Protocol will be ratified?