Ghana Parliament Votes To Abolish Death Penalty

Ghana's parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, joining a long list of African countries that have done so in recent years (article available here).

Execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana. Treason has also been punishable by death in Ghana.

The country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. The last execution took place in 1993.

A statement from the Death Penalty Project says Ghana is the 29th African country to abolish the death penalty, and the 124th globally.

In recent years many African states have abolished the death penalty, including Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zambia.