Ghana’s Parliament Approves Criminal Offences Amendment Act, Replacing Death Penalty with Life Sentence
Parliament in Ghana has passed the Criminal Offences Amendment Act, 2022, which aims to replace the death penalty with a life sentence. Currently, the death penalty is imposed for offenses such as murder, attempted murder, genocide, piracy, and smuggling of gold or diamonds.
Human rights activists have long argued that the death penalty is irreversible and too final, advocating for a more humane alternative such as a life sentence.
In a significant development, the bill was passed, and the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, confirmed its approval by stating, “The Criminal Offences Amendment Act, 2022 is duly read the third time and duly passed.”
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, expressed that the passage of the bill calls for celebration as a country.
The death penalty was originally inherited from the colonial administration as a punishment for specific crimes. However, since 1993, successive presidents of Ghana have refrained from signing death warrants for the execution of offenders.
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