Ghana parliament vote to join oda African kontries wey scrap death penalty

Ghana parliament don vote to scrap di death penalty, dem join a long list of African kontries wey done do so in recent years.

Di kontri currently get 170 men and six women on death row, wey dia sentences go now dey replaced by life imprisonment. Di last execution happun for 1993.

Execution bin don be di mandatory sentence for murder for Ghana.

Opinion survey suggest say most Ghanaians approve di scrapping.

Last year, seven pipo bin dey sentenced to death for Ghana - but dem no execute dem. Treason also bin dey punishable by death for Ghana.

MP Francis-Xavier Sosu na im put forward di bill to amend di Criminal Offences Act and get di backing of di parliament Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

One London-based campaign organisation, di Death Penalty Project (DPP), bin work with Mr Sosu to change di law.

Statement from DPP say Ghana na di 29th African kontri to scrap di death penalty, and di 124th globally.

In recent years, many African kontries don scrap di death penalty, including Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zambia.

Mr Sosu say "on death row, prisoners wake up dey think say dis fit be dia last day on earth. Dem be like di living dead: psychologically, dem don stop to be humans.

"Abolishing di death penalty show say we dey determined as a society not to be inhumane, uncivil, closed, retrogressive and dark."

E add say dis go pave di way to a free and progressive society reflecting "our common belief say di sanctity of life dey inviolable".