Supreme Court nominee, Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, has made a strong case for scrapping the mandatory death penalty in Ghana's legal framework, stressing the need for judicial discretion in capital punishment cases.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament's Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, Justice Adjei argued that sentencing should not be automatic and must reflect a respect for life. "I agree that the mandatory imposition of the death sentence is wrong," he declared. "If a person goes to court and is to be convicted and suffer death, first and foremost, we must respect life. "The judge who heard the matter should have the discretion-either to give a number of years or impose the death sentence." Justice Adjei cited Ghana's obligations under international law as a key reason for his stance. "Ghana is a signatory to the African Charter, and Article 4 provides that you must respect life," he explained. "The African Court has variously held that any decision by any country that does not give a judge discretion in the imposition of the death sentence is in violation of Article 4." He further warned that Ghana risks international embarrassment if this outdated policy is not reviewed: "If cases from Ghana happen to go before the court, we are going to face the same fate.
We are going to lose." Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Related Topics:Feature Advertisement You may like Mahama is Ghana's most prepared president - Otchere-Darko declares Minnesota lawmaker shooter captured after intense two-day manhunt Iranian State TV hit by missile strike during live broadcast NPP must decide if they'll choose an acting chairman-Sick Stephen Ntim's family speaks Judges must act on law, not religion - Supreme Court nominee This has been very difficult - Angela Ofori-Atta opens up on husband's health Stop media trials and let the courts work - KsTU lecturer tells AG BECE: Two students miss Maths paper after being locked up by headmaster over fees Don't gag the press, just report the truth - Dzamefe tells Appointments Committee Click to comment Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published.
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