the Office of the President of Sierra Leone stated in a release that...

the Office of the President of Sierra Leone stated in a release that President Kabbah would not abolish the death penalty from the country's law book. The release emphasized that the death penalty is part of the laws of this country just as it has been entrenched in the legal systems of America, Japan and other African countries. The government defence came after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had recommend the abolition of the death penalty from the laws of Sierra Leone.
This was also echoed by other human rights organization around the world.
"There is no doubt that the death penalty is a serious punishment and some people may genuinely want to see it abolished in this country," the statement said and continued, "such people must however realise that the President cannot change the law on his own and he is bound to obey the law as long as it is the current law in the country."
"The law also gives the President power to exercise his prerogative of mercy in favour of a condemned prisoner. But he can exercise this power only after all judicial remedies including appeals have been exhausted and not before that," the release noted.