Nigeria’s Death Penalty by Zoom Inhumane — Human Rights Watch
The sentencing to death of a Nigerian driver via Zoom is “inherently cruel and inhumane”, Human Rights Watch says.
The rights group was reacting to one of Nigeria’s first court rulings made using the video chat app because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Lagos judge, Mojisola Dada, sentenced Olalekan Hameed to death by hanging for the murder of his employer’s mother.
The hearing lasted almost three hours and was virtually attended by lawyers, including the Attorney-General of the state.
They all participated in Monday’s session from different locations as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Hameed had pleaded not guilty to killing 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya in December 2018.
It is not clear if Hameed will appeal against the sentence.
Human Rights Watch told the BBC that the creation of the virtual court during the Coronavirus outbreak showed a commitment to accessing justice.
However, the judiciary was moving in the wrong direction by sentencing a person to death by hanging, it said.
“The irreversible punishment is archaic, inherently cruel and inhuman, it should be abolished,” Human Rights Watch said.
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