Justice Adjei pushes for abolition of mandatory death penalty in Ghana

Supreme Court nominee Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei is calling for a major shift in Ghana’s criminal justice system—one that would eliminate the automatic imposition of the death penalty and empower judges with sentencing discretion in capital cases.

Speaking before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, Justice Adjei criticized the current legal framework, saying it violates the right to life and contradicts Ghana’s international human rights obligations.

He cited offences like treason, high treason, and certain breaches under the Armed Forces Act (Act 105) as examples where judges currently have no alternative but to hand down the death penalty.

Justice Adjei highlighted Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Ghana is a signatory. The article affirms the right to life and, according to rulings by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, is violated when courts are stripped of discretion in capital punishment cases.

Drawing from his experience on the African Court, he recalled decisions that condemned similar laws in Tanzania and Benin, where mandatory death sentences were deemed incompatible with international norms.