Don’t Commit Murder Because Death Penalty Has Been Abolished – Afenyo-Markin Cautions

Deputy Majority Leader and the MP for Effutu Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has said that abolishing the death penalty should not result in a spike in murders.

Addressing the media after the scrapping of the death penalty law, he said it had been the motive of the incumbent government to abolish the death penalty based on the numerous appeal from various human rights organisations.

“We have had a death penalty in our statute books for well over 50 years. It has been a concern”.

“I’m happy to say that we have, by this amendment of the parent act, been able to repeal that provision that deals with the death penalty. So simply put, the death penalty is no more a punishment in our statutes,” he stated.

He added, “What we are saying is that God gives us life and under no circumstances should a person’s life be taken merely because of committing such an offence. That is not to say that those who take it upon themselves to take the lives of others are being encouraged to do so”.

“What we are saying is that God gives us life, and under no circumstances should a person’s life be taken merely because of the commissioning of such an offence.”

The death penalty was the punishment for convicts who committed murder, attempted to commit murder, genocide, treason or piracy and smuggled gold or diamond.

Ghana currently has one hundred and seventy(170) men and women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment.