Ghana

Regions: 
Africa
Background
Ghana signed and ratified the Rome Statute in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Ghana has defined some crimes under international law as crimes under Ghanaian law. These include genocide, slavery, and certain grave and non grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and their protocols and specific crimes that could constitute War Crimes if committed in the context of or in association with an armed conflict such as murder, rape, enforced prostitution, and the like. Ghanaian legislation also in certain cases provides for universal jurisdiction over international crime.
Civil society advocacy

As per the statement delivered by Dr. Dominic Ayine, Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana at the 13th session of the Assembly of State Parties, Ghana remains committed to the importance of the ICC as a mechanism for punishing crimes of impunity. Ghana has also hosted a High Level Seminar on Fostering Cooperation in July 2014, which involved participation from other African States.

 

While domestic legislation in Ghana criminalizes certain international crimes, a major drawback to the national legislation on this subject is that it does not define crimes in consonance with the strictest international requirements. Such as in the case of the specific crimes described above, the perpetrators of such crimes can potentially be prosecuted if such crimes are committed in an armed conflict, however there are no provisions that criminalize such conduct in the absence of such an armed conflict, but as part of a systematic or widespread attack directed against a civilian population as in the case of Crimes against Humanity. Also there is no provision for extradition for such crimes under the law of Ghana.