Republic of Ghana
Head of state and government: John Dramani Mahama

Ghana continued to hand down death sentences although an ongoing constitutional review process could lead to abolition. Domestic violence against women remained widespread.

Death penalty

Courts continued to hand down death sentences. No executions have taken place since 1993.

In March the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee submitted a draft bill to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to amend provisions of the 1992 Constitution; these included a proposal to abolish the death penalty. The bill was expected to be referred back to Parliament for approval before a referendum is conducted.

In March, in the case of Dexter Eddie Johnson v. Ghana, the UN Human Rights Committee condemned the use of automatic and mandatory death sentences in Ghana. It called on the government to provide Dexter Eddie Johnson with an effective remedy, including the commutation of his death sentence, and to adjust its legislation to avoid similar violations in the future. The government had not responded by the end of the year.

Violence against women and girls

Violence against women and girls remained widespread. A total of 16,275 cases were reported to the police-run Domestic Violence Support Unit in 2013. Although the law prohibits domestic violence, victims were not provided with adequate protection and legal assistance to lodge complaints with the Unit.

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