Parliament replaces death penalty with the Criminal Offences Amendment Act

The Criminal Offences Amendment Act, 2022, which has been approved by Parliament, aims to replace the death penalty in Ghana with a life sentence. The death penalty has been applied in cases of murder, attempted murder, genocide, and piracy and smuggling of gold or diamonds.

Human rights activists have long argued that the death penalty is a final and irreversible punishment, leading to their demand for its replacement with a life sentence.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, officially announced the passing of the bill, stating, “The Criminal Offences Amendment Act, 2022 has been read for the third time and has been successfully passed.”

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, expressed joy and emphasized that the country should celebrate this significant milestone.

While the death penalty was initially introduced during the colonial administration as a punishment for murder, attempted murder, genocide, piracy, and smuggling of precious minerals, successive Ghanaian presidents have refrained from signing death warrants for offenders’ execution since 1993.

Source – citinewsroom.com