Accra: As the world marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union and its member states emphasize their commitment to justice, human dignity, and the belief in rehabilitation. The occasion highlights Ghana’s progress towards the abolition of the death penalty and continues advocacy for a world without state-sanctioned execution.
According to Ghana News Agency, Ghana has received international recognition for its human rights record and strides towards abolishing the death penalty. The country has been regarded as ‘abolitionist in practice’, having refrained from executions for over three decades since the last execution in 1993. In 2023, Ghana’s Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, joining other African countries that have recently taken similar steps. This decision commuted the sentences of 170 men and six women on death row to life imprisonment.
However, Ghana’s journey towards complete abolition is not yet finished, as the country’s Constitution still prescribes death as pun
ishment for high treason. The European Union remains optimistic that the remaining legislative steps will be taken, given Ghana’s consistent political direction on the matter.
Globally, the movement towards abolition is gaining momentum. In Africa, 26 countries have abolished the death penalty, with Zimbabwe being the most recent in December 2024. In 2023, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire acceded to the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), committing permanently to abolition. Kenya’s Parliament established a task force in February 2025 to review its death penalty laws. Today, most nations worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
The upcoming World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris in July 2026 and the regional congress in Japan in November 2025 are expected to bolster global advocacy and political action for total abolition. The global shift is driven by the recognition of the death penalty’s irreversible nature and its incompa
tibility with the right to life. It is widely condemned as cruel and inhuman.
The European Union and Ghana maintain a strong partnership based on shared values and a commitment to human dignity. The EU emphasizes that the campaign against capital punishment is not just about removing a sentence but also about creating a fairer justice system. The EU and its member states have encouraged Ghana to take the necessary steps towards complete abolition by passing amendments to the Armed Forces Act, introducing constitutional reforms for high treason cases, and signing the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.
On this World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union reaffirms its partnership with Ghana towards building a society where justice is rooted in human dignity rather than premeditated death.