Justice without the Kill – Ghana edging towards abolitionism

By Rune SKINNEBACH, European Union Ambassador to Ghana; FREDERIK LANDSHÖFT, German Ambassador to Ghana; and DIARRA DIMÉ LABILLE, French Ambassador Designate to Ghana

As we mark World Day Against the Death Penalty, our shared focus turns to justice, human dignity, and the unwavering belief in rehabilitation. This day is a moment to applaud Ghana’s progress towards abolitionism, and continue our advocacy for a world free of state-sanctioned killing.

French writer Albert Camus arrived at the central contradiction of capital punishment: “But what then is capital punishment but the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal’s deed, however calculated it may be, can be compared?” What does it teach our society when the state, with all its power, plans and executes a human life? It teaches that in the face of a terrible crime, our best response is to replicate the act of killing. Humanity can do better than that.

Ghana deserves credit for its human rights record, and for all the progress it has made towards abolishing the death penalty. The country has long been “abolitionist in practice” and has not carried out an execution for at least three decades. In fact, the last execution took place in 1993. In 2023, Ghana’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, joining a long list of African countries that have done so in recent years. The sentences of those 170 men and six women on death row were replaced by life imprisonment.

Nevertheless, the total abolition of capital punishment remains incomplete, as the Constitution of Ghana still provides for high treason to be punishable by death. We are hopeful that the final legislative steps can follow, as Ghana’s political direction has long been clear on the matter.

The international trend is decisively moving towards abolition. In Africa, 26 countries have completely abolished the death penalty, with Zimbabwe as the most recent country to have done so in December 2024. Last year, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire both acceded to the Second Optional Protocol of the ICCPR, confirming their permanent commitment. In February 2025, the Parliament of Kenya established a task force to review national legislation on the death penalty. Today, a majority of the world’s nations have abolished it in law or practice.

The next World Congress against the Death Penalty in Paris in July 2026, and the upcoming regional World Congress against the Death Penalty in Japan this November, will serve to strengthen political action and advocacy towards abolition.

The global shift is grounded in a profound understanding of the death penalty’s flaws. It is irreversible and irrevocable. The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life, and remains a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. History is littered with tragic examples of judicial errors that led to the execution of innocent people. A growing body of evidence shows that the death penalty does not deter crime more effectively than imprisonment.

The partnership between the European Union and Ghana is long-standing and multifaceted, built on shared values and a common vision for the future. The fight for human dignity is a cornerstone of this partnership.

Our call is not merely about removing a punishment; it is about actively building a more just and effective penal system. We encourage all stakeholders in Ghana to join the global community of abolitionist states by:

1. passing the relevant bill amendments (“Armed Forces Act”);
2. proposing constitutional reforms to abolish capital punishment also for high treason; and
3. signing the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

European Union (EU) countries are united in their commitment to the permanent abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances. By fully abolishing the death penalty, Ghana can solidify its role as a regional leader in human rights and inspire other nations in West Africa and across the continent to follow suit.

On this World Day Against the Death Penalty, we extend our hands in partnership to the government and people of Ghana. Let us work together to consign the death penalty to the history books, and build a future where justice is rooted in human dignity, not in premeditated death.

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