Ghana is poised to abolish the death penalty as Parliament gears up for the second and third reading of a bill related to the subject on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

The Order Paper for the nineteenth sitting of the second meeting of Parliament on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, advertised both the first and third readings of the bill. However, various issues, including a minority side boycott, hindered the progress of the readings.

The purpose of the bill is to amend the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) by replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment and addressing related matters.

In an interview with GBC, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, the proponent of the bill and Member of Parliament for Madina, a renowned human rights lawyer, expressed his satisfaction with Parliament's progress on the bill. He stated that once passed, it would enable Ghana to achieve criminal justice reforms and align its justice system with international best practices.

Sosu emphasized the importance of the amendment, highlighting that although individuals have been sentenced to death in Ghana, the country has not carried out any executions for approximately 30 years. He expressed concern over the situation where people remain in condemned cells for extended periods without being executed.

He advocated for a policy shift from mandatory death sentences to life imprisonment, stating that it is necessary and more humane.

The overarching objective outlined in the report presented to Parliament by the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs committee on the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, is to reform Ghana's criminal justice system to meet the evolving needs of society and align it with international best practices in criminal jurisprudence.

YNA/WA