Take death penalty out of your laws – UK-based organisation to Parliament

A United Kingdom-based organisation, Death Penalty Project, led by its Executive Director, Saul Lehrfreund has called on Ghana’s parliament to take death penalty off its statutory books.

Mr Lehrfreund made the call on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 when he led a team to visit the 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu to solicit for the support of Ghana’s Parliament in this endeavor.

He added that Ghana would join the majority of the world who have rejected capital punishment as an abuse of human rights, indicating that there are 120 countries globally who have rejected death penalty with just few countries left to do so.

For his part, Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu said Ghana has not executed anybody under the death penalty under the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution despite having it on its status books for a very long time.

Mr Sosu noted that “even if we would retain death penalty in the constitution, it would be for treason and high treason.”

The First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu pointed out that Ghana is willing to be part of the international community in this regard by amending its law.

He said Ghana’s Parliament and Ghanaians will be guided in the course of this journey by Ghana’s culture and history; saying “we will listen to the voice of our people as we go out on this matter”.

Mr. Lehrfreund called on the First Deputy Speaker with Carulyn Hollhe from the Oxford University, Meg Govld, Death Penalty Project, Abdul-Razak Yakubu British High Commission and Hannah Crothers Australian High Commission.

Source: Classfmonline.com