Ghana’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty. The move makes Ghana the latest of several African nations to repeal capital punishment in recent years.
“This is a great advancement of the human rights record of Ghana,” Francis-Xavier Sosu told Reuters, the parliamentarian who tabled the bill. “We have conducted research, from the constitutional review to opinion polls, and they all show that the majority of Ghanaians want the death penalty removed.”
Ghana’s last execution was in 1993. The country had 176 people on death row as of last year.
Ghana is the 29th country to abolish the death penalty in Africa and the 124th globally.
The Death Penalty Project, a London-based NGO said it worked alongside partners in Ghana to help get the law changed.
The bill now heads to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s desk to be signed into law.
