Amnesty International Ghana calls on MPs to support abolishing of death penalty

Amnesty International Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is appealing to all members of parliament (MPs) to vote in favour of the motion on the Criminal and Other Offences Amendment Bill and the Armed Forces Amendment Bill, which seek to abolish the death penalty in Ghana.

The NGO, in a statement issued in Accra on Tuesday, said that voting in favour of the bill was necessary because the death penalty breaches human rights, including the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment that cannot be reversed even when an alleged person is exonerated.

“These rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights among others,” it added.

Amnesty International Ghana said that it has been campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty in Ghana since its establishment in 1985 and that it is therefore calling on MPs to support the bill.

“Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of who is accused, the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt or innocence or method of execution,” it added.

The NGO also noted that the bill has been endorsed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Mahama, the Speaker of Parliament, religious bodies, the Ghana Armed Forces, and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Amnesty International Ghana is also urging the public to join its campaign to remove the death penalty from Ghana’s statute books.

“While we are hopeful of the abolition of the death penalty this year, we would like to call on all stakeholders and partners who support the cause to engagement the media extensively and throw more light on the need to remove this harsh punishment from our status books,” it added.