Francis Xavier Sosu, a human rights attorney, has voiced his disapproval of the death penalty imposed on six coup conspirators.
On Wednesday, January 24, the six people who were allegedly involved in a coup attempt were found guilty of both high treason and high treason conspiracy, and they were given the death-by-hanging sentence.
But Mr. Sosu said the decision was depressing as the world has moved on and hanging criminals is now regarded as an outdated punishment.
On January 24, 2024, he made the following statement on Joy FM’s Newsnight: “To be honest, it is extremely sad that in this day and age, despite all the accomplishments Ghana has made worldwide concerning the elimination of the death penalty, we will still be having a hanging punishment.
“It is a bit retrogressive and it flies in the face of the human rights records or the human rights progress we have achieved as a people.”
Mr. Sosu emphasized that the nation ought to think about reexamining the legislation. “I think it’s time for us as a nation to take a closer look, contemplate soberly, and reconsider the usage of the death penalty.
“As you are aware, everyone thinks that we need to replace the law on the death penalty with life imprisonment when you look at the campaigns that we have done over the years from either the judiciary, the Police Service, or Prison authorities,” he continued.
He clarified that although there have been calls for an amendment, it has not yet been carried out, thus even though Ghana has not had an execution in a long time, the court can still order the death-by-hanging method.
