As the world marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union and its member States are resolute in their shared value of justice, human dignity, and the belief in rehabilitation.
The day serves as an occasion to applaud Ghana’s progress towards abolitionism and to continue advocacy for a world free of state-sanctioned execution.
French writer Albert Camus once described 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?”
The question then arises: what lesson does society learn when the state, with all its authority, deliberately takes a human life? It teaches that in response to a terrible crime, the appropriate action is to replicate the act of killing – an approach that diminishes humanity’s moral strength. The message from abolitionists is that humanity can rise above vengeance.
Ghana continues to earn international recognition for its human rights record and its sustained progress towards abolishing the death penalty. The country has long been considered “abolitionist in practice”, having refrained from carrying out executions for more than three decades. The last execution occurred in 1993.
In 2023, Ghana’s Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, joining a growing list of African countries that have taken similar steps in recent years. The sentences of 170 men and six women on death row were commuted to life imprisonment.
However, the process towards full abolition is not yet complete, as the Constitution of Ghana still prescribes death as punishment for high treason. The EU remains hopeful that the final legislative steps will follow, given the country’s consistent political direction on the matter.
Globally, the movement towards abolition continues to gather momentum. In Africa, 26 countries have completely abolished the death penalty, with Zimbabwe being the most recent in December 2024.
Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire acceded to the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2023, affirming their permanent commitment to abolition. In February 2025, the Parliament of Kenya established a task force to review its death penalty laws. Today, most nations worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
The next World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris in July 2026, and the upcoming regional congress in Japan in November 2025, are expected to strengthen global advocacy and political action for total abolition.
The global shift stems from the recognition of the death penalty’s irreversible nature and its incompatibility with the right to life. It is widely condemned as a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.
History bears witness to numerous cases of wrongful executions, while evidence continues to show that the death penalty does not deter crime more effectively than imprisonment.
The partnership between the European Union and Ghana remains strong, anchored in shared values and a commitment to human dignity. The EU emphasises that the campaign against capital punishment is not only about removing a sentence but also about creating a fairer and more effective justice system.
The EU and its Member States have encouraged Ghana to take the remaining steps towards complete abolition by:
Passing the necessary amendments to the Armed Forces Act;
Introducing constitutional reforms to abolish the death penalty for high treason; and
Signing the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.
European Union countries maintain a united stance on the permanent abolition of the death penalty under all circumstances. By fully abolishing it, Ghana stands to reinforce its image as a regional leader in human rights and inspire other West African nations to follow its example.
On this World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union reaffirms its partnership with the Government and people of Ghana towards building a society where justice is rooted in human dignity rather than in premeditated death.
By Ambassadors Rune Skinnebach, Frederik Landshöft, and Diarra Dimé Labille
The authors are the Ambassadors of the European Union, Germany, and French Ambassador designate to Ghana.
Source: GNA
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
