Ghana: Landmark vote to remove death penalty from laws a major step forward

Reacting to news that Ghana’s Parliament voted to remove the death penalty from the 1960 Criminal and Other Offences Act as well as the 1962 Armed Forces Act, Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director,  said: 

“Today’s parliamentary vote is a major step forward by Ghana towards the abolition of the death penalty.

“It is also a victory for all those who have tirelessly campaigned to consign this cruel punishment to history and strengthen the protection of the right to life. Although a landmark decision, the total abolition of this draconian punishment would not be complete without revising the Constitution, which still provides for high treason to be punishable by death.  

“Now that the 2022 Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill and 2022 Armed Forces (Amendment) Bill have been passed by Parliament, President Nana Akufo-Addo should, without delay, sign them into law, commute all death sentences to prison terms, and establish an official moratorium on executions.  

“Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases - without exception - because it violates the right to life as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment which has no place in our world.”