Xavier Sosu to take law on death penalty to ECOWAS Court of Justice

Human Rights lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu is set to escalate issues with the law on the death penalty to the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

The lawyer expressed his displeasure with the death sentence handed to six coup plotters after being found guilty of conspiring to commit high treason and committing high treason.

The High Court on January 24, 2024, sentenced six of the coup plotters to death by hanging.

The Court, however, acquitted Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and one other junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar.

Mr. Sosu who is the Member of Parliament for Madina described the verdict as ‘disheartening’, arguing that the world had advanced.

Mr. Sosu emphasized that it was high time the country considered reviewing the law, and the best place to make that decision is the ECOWAS Court.

“Death penalty in the world has not served as a deterrent to people who may commit offences that may carry those death penalties. It has never emerged that merely because people have the death penalty in their statutory books will deter people. It never does, so I’m hopeful that this conversation sparks some new light in all of us, and we will reflect on the things that we have discussed.

"And I’m happy that Amnesty International is poised on the advocacy this year. I’m super excited about what will happen this year because already I’m preparing myself to hit the human rights court with issues of committing sentences of those on penalty row. As a matter of record, beyond those six persons who were convicted last week, all the 180 persons on the death penalty row were sentenced under Act 29, which has been amended,” Francis Xavier Sosu said.

-citinewsroom