Report by: Ben LARYEA
Amnesty International Ghana, a non-political human rights organization has revealed that there are 6 females out of the 172 prisoners known to be on death row as of December 2022 in Ghana.
According to the organization, no executions have been carried out in 2022, and disclosed further that 7 people were sentenced to death in 2022.
These worrying revelations came to light on the AI factsheet during the launch of the 2022 death penalty report at the Tomrick Hotel in Accra.
6 females on death row – Amnesty International Ghana reveals
In attendance were faith-based organizations, the diplomatic community, security institutions, players in the Amnesty International space, and an array of high-profile media houses among others.
Throwing more light on global executions, Amnesty International announced that it has recorded 883 executions in 20 countries in 2022 marking a 53% increase from 579 recorded in 2021 representing the highest number of execution it has recorded in the past 5 years.
Six countries abolished the death penalty either fully (Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic) or partially (Equatorial Guinea and Zambia, which abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes only) in 2022.
The Director of AI Ghana Madam Genevieve Partington in an address expressed worries about the death penalty saying it should not be applied as a measure of punishment and explained further that the death penalty raises all manner of questions about the values and virtues of human life.
6 females on death row – Amnesty International Ghana reveals
According to her, the death penalty has negatively affected the country’s human rights records despite Ghana’s track record on the said rights, rule of law, and good governance.
It is against this background that Amnesty International has urged the House of Parliament to fast-track the passage of the respective Bills that leads to the abolition of the death penalty from the country’s criminal code.
In a remark, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Mr. Francis-Xavier Sosu said the Bills laid before Parliament will help promote human rights in the country and pointed out that the psychological trauma on such people leads to anxiety and depression.
He however urged Parliament to prioritize the bill to enhance the country’s democratic credentials as well as its human rights records.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
