CONGO: PRESIDENT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES OF 17 PRISONERS

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso granted general pardons on the occasion of Congo's National Day. The sentences of 17 people on death row were commuted to life terms. According to human rights body Amnesty International, there have been no penal executions in Congo since 1982 although the death penalty is still in force in the Congolese penal code.