Sierra Leone's government will move to abolish the death penalty in the West African state, deputy justice minister Umaru Napoleon Koroma said on Wednesday.

The former British colony in West Africa has been criticized in recent years by human rights advocates for not abolishing the death penalty in law, although the last executions were carried out more than 20 years ago and sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.

"Once the legislation goes to parliament and gets approved, that ends the story of the death penalty," Koroma told AFP.

He added that the cabinet of President Julius Maada Bio had decided to push to abolish capital punishment in order to "uphold the fundamental human rights of Sierra Leoneans".

It was not immediately clear when the bill would be presented to Parliament, but the government reported its decision to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday, Koroma said.

The European Union's ambassador to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens, congratulated Bio on the move.

"We will continue to partner with you in promoting a progressive human rights agenda," he tweeted.