Ghana Parliament Votes to Abolish Death Penalty

Ghana has joined the list of African countries that have abolished the death penalty after the Ghanaian Parliament voted in favor of a law banning capital punishment entirely.

Ghana last carried out an execution in 1993, and currently, there are 170 men and women on death row for crimes that were punishable by this penalty. However, the death penalty will now be replaced by life imprisonment.

Previously, capital punishment was the verdict for those convicted of intentional murder in Ghana.

Opinion polls indicate that the majority of Ghanaians are in favor of abolishing the death penalty.

Last year, seven people were sentenced to death in Ghana, but none of the sentences were carried out. Additionally, the death penalty was the punishment for treason in the country.

Member of Parliament, Francis-Xavier Sosu, presented a bill to amend the Criminal Offenses Act, which received support from the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament.

The organization, Death Penalty Project, based in London, worked with MP Francis-Xavier Sosu to bring about this legislative change.

According to a statement released by the organization, Ghana becomes the 29th African country to abolish the death penalty and ranks 124th globally.

In recent years, several African countries have abolished the death penalty, including Benin, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zambia.