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For this year’s UK Pro Bono Week (6-10 November 2023), The Death Penalty Project (DPP) got in touch with some of the Pro Bono professionals from our network. We asked those from our network what some of their most memorable pro bono experiences have been working with us at DPP, as well as insight into their own experiences of working…
Pressure mounts for Kenya to abolish death penalty
The following article was originally published in both The Star, as well as on ICJ Kenya’s website, 9 October 2023. In Summary: “The law provides that when a person is sentenced to death, “he shall be hanged by the neck until he is dead.” The Supreme Court’s decision in Francis Karioko Muruatetu in 2017 declared the mandatory nature of the…
Ghana Web: Alban Bagbin praised for repeal of death penalty
This article was originally published in Ghana Web, Thursday 3 August 2023. The Death Penalty Project UK has commended the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and parliament for their roles in the repeal of the death penalty from Ghana’s statute books. It will be recalled that the Parliament of Ghana on Tuesday 25 July, 2023, and Thursday July 27, 2023,…
IBAHRI commends abolition of the death penalty – Ghana
The following statement was published by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), 3 August 2023. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) commends the Republic of Ghana for abolishing the death penalty for all crimes except high treason. On 25 July 2023, the Ghanaian Parliament passed two private members’ bills, the Criminal Offence (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Armed Forces (Amendment) Bill…
CLA Statement: Commending the Zambian and Ghanaian Governments for Abolishing the Death Penalty
The following statement was published by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, 1 August 2023. The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) commends the governments of Zambia and Ghana for abolishing the death penalty. This is a victory for the protection of the right to life in both Countries. According to the Death Penalty Project, Ghana is the 29th African country to abolish the death…
DPP INTERVIEW: Francis-Xavier Sosu, the Ghanaian MP whose private member’s Bills have abolished the death penalty in Ghana
This week, Ghana’s Parliament abolished capital punishment for all ordinary crimes by passing two private member’s Bills covering its civilian and military courts, which were introduced by the human rights lawyer and MP for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu. This followed years of engagement with the country’s policymakers and civil society by the London-based NGO, The Death Penalty Project. We interviewed…
DPP interview with TRT – “Why are executions on the rise in a number of countries?”
Following the news of the abolition of the death penalty in Ghana, our Co-Executive Director Saul Lehrfreund speaks in an interview with Broadcaster TRT on “Why are executions on the rise in a number of countries?” Watch here:
Jurist: Ghana Parliament votes to end death penalty
This article was originally published in Jurist, 27 July 2023. Ghana’s Parliament voted Tuesday to amend the country’s Criminal Offences Act to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment. The vote came after Minister of Parliament (MP) Francis-Xavier Sosu introduced the amended bill with the backing of rights groups. The bill will see 170 inmates currently on death row have their sentences commuted…
