Supreme Court nominee, Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has advocated for the abolition of the mandatory death penalty for convicted criminals.

According to him, the imposition of the death sentence is wrong, as it infringes on the fundamental human rights of individuals and downplays the essence of life.

Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on June 16, 2025, Justice Adjei noted that judges who handle these cases must be given discretion and the flexibility to impose alternative sentences instead of the death penalty.

“I agree that the mandatory imposition of death sentence is wrong. If a person goes to court and the person is to be convicted to suffer death, first and foremost, we must respect life. So, we must give discretion to the judge who heard the matter. It must be up to the judge to decide to either give the number of years or to decide to impose death sentence,” he stated.

While citing the Armed Forces Act 105, Justice Adjei, in his strong stance, referenced how some crimes, such as treason and high treason, among other serious offenses, are punishable by death penalty, either by hanging or firing squad.

He further stated that these actions violate Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which provides that life must be respected and to which Ghana is a signatory.

“But if you look at the treason, high treason and the one in the Armed Forces Act 105, once you convict the person then there is a mandatory imposition of death sentence. Ghana is a signatory to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights provides that you must respect life,” he noted.

He added, “The African Court has variously held that any decision by any country to not give a judge discretion in the position of death sentence is in violation of Article 4 of the African Charter. Ghana is a signatory that is why I am there as a judge. We have found several cases against Tanzania who are the worst offenders. We have found some of them too against Benin so, if cases from Ghana happen to be there, we are going to face the same fate. We are going to lose. What I will say is that yes, we need to outlaw those things.”

MAG/VPO

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