Nonetheless, there was an issue. Her husband refused handy over the farm to her. After many months of bewilderment, the matter was lastly introduced earlier than the chief, who gave a ruling. Regardless of the intervention, Jojo refused to honor the phrases prescribed by the chief.
The matter was lastly taken to courtroom. The courtroom dominated that for the reason that couple had youngsters, the farm must be divided into three components. One half will go to the husband, the opposite to the girl whereas the opposite half was for use to maintain the kids. A sequence of misunderstandings erupted when Jojo sacked the kids from their portion of the farm, arguing that that they had no proper over it.
Konadu determined to confront him on the farm and the matter escalated. Jojo beat her up mercilessly, and he or she sustained a number of levels of cutlass cuts on her physique. In retaliation, Konadu ambushed Jojo on his means from the farm and hit him with a stick behind his head. He collapsed on the spot. She realized she might need hit him a bit too onerous when she seen bloodstains on the stick she had used.
She rushed to tell her brother in regards to the incident. The 2 instantly reported the incident to the police who got here to satisfy Jojo in a pool of blood. Whereas speeding him to the hospital, Jojo died on the way in which.
This was the start of Konadu’s woes.
The story of Konadu is unhappy and revealing. Unhappy due to the circumstances that landed her on loss of life row in Ghana. Revealing as a result of it throws mild on the necessity to rethink loss of life as a type of punishment for sure crimes. That is vital as a result of the loss of life sentence regulation in Ghana doesn’t give room for Judges to contemplate particular circumstances that result in the loss of life of a person.
For instance, if judges had the chance to contemplate particular circumstances that result in the lack of life, many on loss of life row may have been charged with offenses resembling manslaughter.
That is nevertheless not the case in Ghana as a result of the Felony and Different Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) prescribes the obligatory loss of life penalty for sure offenses and bars judges from contemplating particular circumstances that will have mitigatory results in every case earlier than them.
There are lots of extra folks on loss of life row in Ghana with comparable tales. Konadu’s story is a transparent case of Gender-Primarily based Violence, which she suffered by the hands of her husband, Jojo.
Though the circumstances that led to the loss of life of her husband might be attributed to a pre-determined plot to harm him, her intention was to not kill him. The truth that she reported the incident to the police instantly, and the person died on the way in which to the hospital have been sufficient causes for the decide to have commuted her sentence to life imprisonment or different sentences other than the loss of life penalty.
In October 2021, Isaiah Andrews of Cleveland, Ohio, was discovered not responsible after spending 45 years in jail for the loss of life of his spouse in 1974. Andrews is now 83 years previous, and he’s free to dwell his life after spending 45 years of his life in jail whereas he was harmless.
Ricky Jackson spent 39 years on loss of life row, having been convicted in 1975 for the homicide of Harold Frank. Ricky was simply 18 years previous when he was convicted after 12-year-old Eddie Vermon testified that he noticed the assault. Prosecutors dropped the costs towards Ricky when Eddie Vermon recanted and admitted that he didn’t witness the crime in any respect.
The potential of wrongfully convicting an harmless particular person to loss of life is proof of the unreliability and arbitrariness of the loss of life penalty. Konadu is now 83 years, and he or she has spent greater than 40 years on loss of life row. She was sentenced to loss of life when she was 42 years and has since not seen her youngsters.
Immediately, Konadu is weak, her eyesight is failing and he or she is battling together with her well being. As an previous lady, she has grow to be too weak to even fend for herself. Even when she have been a hardened felony or assassin, an 83-year-old lady with poor imaginative and prescient, who can barely stroll or transfer can’t be thought of a hazard to society.
“If I have been killed, it might be higher than being right here”, one inmate advised Amnesty Worldwide.
At the moment, 165 persons are on loss of life row in Ghana. No executions had taken place since 1994 however the regulation continues to be utilized as a compulsory sentence as contained within the Felony and different Offences Act.
We have to Abolish the loss of life penalty.
By: Redeemer Buatsi (Youth Chief/Activist),
Amnesty Worldwide Ghana
