Death penalty is a human rights violation – Frank Doyi

The Acting Director of Amnesty International, Mr. Frank Doyi is advocating for the death penalty to be scrapped from the constitution because it is a human rights violation.

According to him, Ghanaians have demonstrated time and again that the death penalty is not something that they want it in the constitution and it is reasonable enough to scrap it.

“We cannot have a constitution that provides for the enjoyment of life and at the same time gives power for that same life to be taken. Ghanaians are asking for the death penalty to be repealed and all that government needs is the political will to do that,” Mr. Doyi explained.

Discussing the latest report released by Amnesty International calling for women and children rights to be respected and protected on ‘State of Affairs’ on GHONE TV, Mr. Doyi explained that the report is aimed at addressing the copious human rights infractions in Ghana to enable Ghanaians to fully enjoy their freedom and democratic values.

He described the conditions at the various prisons in the country as unfortunate and inappropriate. In his view, government must endeavour to improve the prisons to serve its purpose as a rehab centre where people who go there are rehabilitated and reinstated in society.

“Regardless of who you are or your status, you can be in prison. It could be you and it could be me. So all that we are saying is that lets upgrade the prisons. The heat, the congestion, the diseases and manhandling in the prisons are all human rights violations which should be avoided.”

Mr. Doyi acknowledged that one of the best ways to reduce congestion in the prisons is to avoid non-custodial sentences.

A Senior Lecturer, Law Faculty, University of Ghana,Dr. Kwadwo Appiagyei-Attuah who was also on the program shared similar sentiments and advised government to dispel the notion that if it softens its stance on criminals and evil doers in society, violence escalate and see reforming the prisons as an urgent priority.

“Perhaps government thinks that making the prisons better will entice more wrong doers in the country that is why it has kept the current status of the prisons intact. But exposing inmates to overheating, congestion and all that is also a violation of their human rights because it leaves them with psychological trauma,” Dr. Appiagyei-Attuah posited.

In his estimation, improving conditions in the prisons will require money and advised government to be innovative enough to raise the funds for the project even if it doesn’t have the money because the country is lagging behind in terms of the UN standards for conditions in the prisons.

They both called on the government to speed up the implementation of the Rights to Information Bill. This they believe will keep Ghanaians well informed to participate in National discourse and make meaningful contributions to the country’s development.