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Human rights lawyer, Francis–Xavier Sosu, who is also Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, has expressed disagreement on Deputy Attorney General- designates position regarding death penalty, saying it is “retrogressive and inconsistent with direction of the state.”
During Mr. Alfred Tuah-Yeboah’s vetting with the Appointment Committee of Parliament, he stated that executing the death penalty will help reduce murders in the country especially cases relating to armed robbery, by serving as deterrent to others, adding that “abolishing it will increase the murder cases.”
But lawyer Sosu whose position is contrary, said the Minister-designate’s assertion is far from true. Basing his argument on circumstances of other jurisdictions, he said “countries that have abolished death penalty have rather recorded low crime rates including low murder cases.”
He is therefore poised to push for its abolition “even if it will take the introduction of Private Member’s Bill (PMB).”
Read the full statement below:
Great exercise for God and Country. Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Alfred Tuah-Yeboah’s views on death penalty was an anti-climax for me.
Though I respect his right to his opinion and would not use that as a basis for rejection of his nomination, I consider his view on death penalty as very retrogressive and inconsistent with the direction of the state. Since 1992, no President has signed a death warrant to execute any of our brothers and sister on death roll.
On page 58 of the 2020 Amnesty International Global Report on Death Sentences and Executions, Ghana together with some 27 countries were described as Abolitionists in Practice. This is so because there had not been any execution during the last 10years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions.
As at the close of 2020, 160 persons comprising of 155 men and 5 women are serving death sentences. With each passing day, they are traumatized and are emotionally and mentally tortured with the sense of waiting to be killed.
The 2010 Constitutional Review Commission’s recommendations that was accepted by the Government of Ghana over 9years ago shows clearly that Ghana’s position on death penalty is to abolish it.
Contrary to the Deputy AG’s assertions that abolishing death penalty will lead to increased murders, countries that have abolished death penalty have rather recorded low crime rates including low murder cases.
It is time to take death penalty from our statute books even if it will take the introduction of Private Member’s Bill (PMB).
I hope my Private Member’s Bill on this subject gets the necessary support to settle this matter.
