Global Briefs: Ghana ends executions

Ghana

Parliament voted July 25 to abolish the death penalty in most cases, granting a reprieve to 176 prisoners currently on death row. Ghana’s criminal offenses act previously authorized execution by hanging or firing squad for crimes like murder, piracy, smuggling, and genocide. The change will officially take place when President Nana Akufo-Addo signs the bill, which still allows for the death penalty in cases of high treason. Ghana’s last execution took place 30 years ago, but its courts continued to hand down death sentences. Prisoners on death row will now likely have their ­sentences commuted to life in prison. —Elizabeth Russell

Mali

French is no longer Mali’s ­lingua franca after a constitution change in July ended its six-decade run. The West African nation’s ­ruling military junta pushed for a new constitution after staging a coup in May 2021. It marked the second military takeover in a year, after an earlier coup in August 2020. French will still serve as the primary working language, but the constitution grants official status to 13 other national languages. About 70 local languages are spoken in Mali. The decision comes as relations between France and former French colonies deteriorate over claims of political and military meddling. In January, Burkina Faso scrapped a military deal that allowed French troops to fight armed groups within its borders. After a late July coup in Niger, supporters chanted “Down with France” and targeted the French Embassy. The last French troops aiding Mali’s fight against insurgency left the country last year. —Onize Ohikere

China

The country’s Cyberspace Administration proposed new rules on Aug. 2 that would bar children under 18 from accessing the internet on mobile devices between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The plan to curb internet addiction would also limit minors between the ages of 16 and 17 to two hours of internet use per day. Those between the ages of 8 and 15 would have one hour, while children under 8 would have 40 minutes. The internet regulator would require device makers and app developers to add a “minor mode” to their products to limit screen time, but parents could opt out of the function. The proposal, open to public consultation until Sept. 2, follows existing ­measures that limit online gaming time for minors under 16. It’s not clear when the measure might take effect. —Erica Kwong

Turkey

Ankara is investigating the Walt Disney Co. over a historical television series. Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council announced Aug. 2 it would investigate Disney for canceling a series on the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey who died in 1938. Disney originally planned to air the series, titled Ataturk, on the streaming platform Disney+ in October to coincide with the 100th anniversary of modern Turkey’s founding. But Armenian groups condemned the series over Ataturk’s ties to the Armenian genocide and called on Disney to cancel it. Disney said it will not cancel Ataturk but will distribute it via TV and cinema instead. —Emma Freire

Singapore

On July 28, Saridewi Djamani became the first woman in 19 years to be executed in the city-state. Djamani, 45, was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking about 1 ounce of pure heroin. Capital punishment is mandatory for anyone convicted of trafficking more than 0.5 ounces of heroin or 17.6 ounces of cannabis. Djamani was the 15th person executed for drug-related offenses since Singapore resumed executions in March 2022 after a pandemic-related pause. The advocacy group Transformative Justice Collective says the death penalty only punishes low-level traffickers often recruited from marginalized groups. —Joyce Wu

Colombia

President Gustavo Petro announced a six-month cease-fire between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in an attempt to end 60 years of armed conflict. The cease-fire began Aug. 3 and is set to last through January 2024. Petro’s government restarted peace talks last year in hopes of ­ending the violence that has killed over 450,000 people. Government commissioner Danilo Rueda said the cease-fire would protect civilians from crimes like kidnapping, but ELN leader Aureliano Carbonell said the group’s financing activities will not stop. The government says those activities include kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, and ­illegal mining. Government efforts to start peace talks with other armed groups in Colombia have failed so far. —Jenny Lind Schmitt