Reconsidering the Abolition of Capital Punishment in Ghana
The Need for Legislative and Constitutional Amendments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46282/blr.2022.6.1.284Keywords:
Death penalty, ICCPR, ECHR, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Constitution of Ghana, Criminal and Other Offences Act of GhanaAbstract
The human rights argument for the abolishment of the death penalty has been firmly established in modern times in both practical terms and in the academic circles. Today, most countries have abolished the death penalty for various reasons, all of which are based on human rights. This paper is a contribution to the numerous studies calling for the abolition of the death penalty in various countries. Aside from discussing relevant international instruments (and other national instruments and judicial decisions) relevant to abolishing the death penalty, it focuses on issues concerning the death penalty in Ghana. The primary aim of this paper is to make a recommendation to both the executive and legislative arms of the Ghana government to abolish the death penalty.
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Constitution of Ghana, 1992.
Constitution of Hungary, 2011.
Constitution of Mozambique, 2004.
Constitution of Namibia, 1990.
Legislation
Ghana, Criminal and Other Offences Act (1960).
Ghana, Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act (1960).
International instrument
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1986).
American Convention on Human Rights to abolish the death penalty (1990).
Arab Charter on Human Rights (2004).
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty in All Circumstances (2003).
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
Protocol 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1953).
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty in All Circumstances (2003).
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002).
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1989).
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations (1948).
Cases
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Canada, Kindler v. Canada, [1991] 2 SCR 779, 26 September 1991.
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Hungary, Decision of the Constitutional Court, No 23/1990 (X 31) AB, 24 October 1990.
South Africa, Makwanyane and Mchunu v. The State, Case No. CCT/3/94, 6 June 1995.
South Africa, Mohamed and Another v. President of the RSA and Others, Case No. CCT17/01, 28 May 2001.
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