Global Execution Surge Casts Shadow Over Africa’s Capital Punishment Debate
Analysis by Nana Karikari, Senior International Affairs and Political Analyst
In a chilling new report, Amnesty International has warned that state executions worldwide have hit record highs for the first time in a decade.
And the grim numbers don’t lie, with visible executions topping 1,500 in 2024 alone. Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia together accounted for the overwhelming majority.
Separately, the United States’ execution of 25 people, again flips a coin for the continent of Africa, which is wrestling with a dilemma over capital punishment.
Despite the uptick, the report offers a glimmer of hope: the number of countries that are actually using the death penalty continues to be at a historic low of 15 for the second consecutive year.
This dichotomy has created a complex backdrop against which Africans are increasingly re-evaluating their legal systems and societal values concerning the ultimate punishment.
A Divided Continent: Discordant Journeys on the Death Penalty
The situation on the death penalty in Africa is not uniform. Most African countries have either legally or practically abolished capital punishment, but a number of them still have it within their statutes.
Countries such as Sierra Leone, which recently abolished the death penalty for all crimes, stand in stark contrast to nations like Egypt.
The largest Arab country, although not featured among the top executioners in the Amnesty report, has executed more significant numbers historically.
This dissonance is a reflection of a continent that is coming to terms with colonial legacies, modern human rights norms and vastly different socio-political settings.
Africa, however, remains less of the problem and more of the solution to global executions, and if not careful might act as a natural balancing mechanism of the recent global surge in executions.
The Middle East, the epicentre of global executions, threatens to trap Africa in a “doom loop.” It could even end up being weaponised by retentionist regimes in defence of national sovereignty, and the idea that only extreme punishment can deter crime.
Global Developments and Human Rights Norms
Amnesty’s assessment, while documenting the staggering rise in executions, also highlights a shrinking global club of executing countries.
The latter finding supports the broader phenomenon of abolition worldwide, thanks to changing human rights standards and the growing view that capital punishment is an inhuman and degrading punishment.
While these are not pressures confined to the African continent, African countries are by no means immune from them either. Some international human rights bodies and advocacy organizations are pressing African states to bring their legislative frameworks in line with international norms.
The low number of executing countries worldwide, despite rising numbers, may offer further encouragement for abolitionist movements across Africa, reinforcing their argument that capital punishment is increasingly an outlier practice.
Social-Political Context and the Quest for Justice
Socio-political aspects are at the forefront of the death penalty debate in Africa. Crime rates, the effectiveness of the justice system, and public opinion have long been central to its policies.
Retentionist states love to tout the claims that the death penalty is a key deterrent to violent crime and reflects the will of the people. But critics argue against those rationales, pointing to the fallibility of judicial systems and the threat of the wrongful executions of innocent individuals, as well as the disproportionately damaging impact of the death penalty on marginalized communities.
The rising number of executions, as well as the increase in judicial transparency of these major Global South powers, particularly in the way they exercise their judicial powers in Africa, will no doubt be a major source of concern as well.
And that could embolden groups calling for an end to the death penalty in their own countries.
Interregional Relations and the Contribution of Continental Institutions
The African Union and other regional bodies have also influence the on-going debate around capital punishment.
The AU has not taken a clear position on a continent-wide stance against the death penalty, however, there are general AU attention to human rights and good governance, which can be framed under an insistence on abolition.
The stark diverging trends in the Amnesty International report, the worldwide increase in executions alongside a dwindling club of executioners, may prompt renewed dialogue across the continent.
It could even strengthen the case within the AU for its members to at least reconsider their membership in the executioners’ club.
For humanity, this can serve as a powerful testament to the other countries that security and justice can be achieved without capital punishment.
This complicated dynamic fuels a particular debate as the continent re-evaluates the death penalty amid a worldwide uptick in state executions.
Though the surge may provide a rallying point for retentionist arguments, the simultaneous decline in the number of executing states, combined with mounting international human rights standards and domestic socio-political factors, presents a significant opportunity for African states to genuinely contemplate the course of abolition.
While Amnesty International’s report is seemingly a global concern, it signals Africa is at a tipping point. It provides information that will likely ignite a debate that could help determine the future of capital punishment across the continent.
Beyond Borders: Why Ghana Must Care About Global Execution Surge
This disturbing global surge in state executions should be of deep concern to Ghanaians — not a cavalier observation.
Although not geographically close to the epicenters of this phenomenon, the normalization and proliferation of state-ordered killings anywhere in the world, compromises the universal tenets of human rights principles. And Ghana, as a democratic country anchored on a rule of law regime, must be concerned.
Also, for a continent often associated with capital punishment, Ghana included more recently, the fact that the United States still practice it, while the trend is moving towards abolition worldwide is a bitter pill to swallow.
This international environment, seemingly low-key in terms of its impact, may subtly bolster retentionists as part of a broader denial of past injustices. Ghana may lose a fundamental part of its identity, catering for an inclusive society through progressive values.