State-sponsored murder banned in Senegal

While New York's state legislature is holding hearings to re-instate the death penalty (overturned by the state's highest court on a technical flaw), the national parliament in West Africa's Republic of Senegal recently voted to abolish state-sponsored and -implemented murder. This is a welcome move, even though Senegal hasn't actually carried out a formal execution since 1967. President Abdoulaye Wade has promised to sign the legislation this week.