Khushi Maheshwari, Pune
With 176 prisoners presently on death row, Ghana has become the 29th African country and the 124th country worldwide to do away with capital punishment. The voting took place in the Ghanaian parliament on Tuesday. MP Francis Xavier Sosu, a member of the opposition party, was at the forefront of proposing the bill and has lauded the decision to abolish the death penalty.
The last time people on death row were executed was in the year 1993. Though people were still charged with the death penalty as recently as last year with seven people being given capital punishment, none of the executions were carried out.
Criminals with a history of offenses such as murder, smuggling, genocide, etc., had previously been charged with capital punishment, which shall no longer be viable. However, some offenses, such as high treason, can lead to the convicted getting charged with a death sentence as absolute extermination of capital punishment would require an amendment to the constitution itself.
Surveys have revealed that most of the citizens of Ghana are in favor of the abolition. The death penalty has been a hotly debated topic across the globe. While some believe that it helps keep crime down and believe a lot of offenders to be beyond redemption due to their lack of remorse, others feel that it is a hypocritical approach to law and punishment and showcases the utmost inhumanity. Executions saw a global spike of 53% last year, with more than 800 executions being recorded.