The death penalty has been abolished in Ghana, bringing that country into line with a growing number of other African nations that have done the same thing in recent years.
There are currently 170 males and six women on death row in the country, and their sentences will now be changed to life in prison instead of the ultimate penalty. 1993 was the year that witnessed the final execution.
In Ghana, the penalty for murder is always and has always been the death penalty.
In Ghana, seven persons were found guilty of capital crimes and given sentences in 2016, but no one was put to death. In the past, the death penalty was also applicable in Ghana for treason.
MP Francis-Xavier Sosu was the one who initiated the process of amending the Criminal Offences Act, and it was supported by the Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs in the House of Representatives.
Together, Mr. Sosu and the advocacy organization known as the Death Penalty Project (DPP), which is based in London, were successful in having the law amended.
According to a statement released by the DPP, Ghana is the 29th country in Africa and the 124th country overall to abolish the use of the death penalty.
In recent decades, some African countries, including Benin, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zambia, have done away with the use of the death sentence.
Mr. Sosu asserted that “on death row, prisoners would wake up thinking that today could be their last day on earth.” They were psychologically no longer able to function as humans, making them appear to be the living dead.
He went on to say that this would pave the way for a society that was both free and progressive, one that reflected “our shared belief that the sanctity of life is inviolable.”
