The tiny West African nation of the Gambia announced on Wednesday that it will be executing all death-row convicts by September—despite not executing anyone in the past 30 years. There are an estimated 44 people on death row, including two women, and it’s unclear what prompted the policy change. The move has prompted an outcry from human-rights activists, with Amnesty International African director Audrey Gaughran calling it “deeply troubling.” The nation imposes capital punishment for a variety of reasons—reportedly even for smuggling heroin.
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