Former President J.A Kufuor has been revealing why he refused to sign death warrants for the execution of inmates condemned to death at the Nsawam Prisons during his eight-year tenure.

He says the decision not to sign the warrants was based on his firm belief in God, adding "only God has the power to take a life."

“Personally, it has been against my conscience to take a life of another human being because I am influenced religiously…I am not the creator."

Mr Kufuor was speaking as part of JOYNEWS’ latest hotline documentary “Death Row” by multiple award-winning journalists, Seth Kwame Boateng.

The documentary tells the chilling story about how inmates condemned to death at the Nsawam Prisons, live each day of their lives in fear of being killed.

“I believe the general trend across the world now is to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. Other reasons can be found in humanitarianism and religion,” he said.  

According to him, the humanitarian theory stands for value in the life of all humans.

The former president also believes “with modern science, people who have been condemned and sometimes awaiting execution have later been found to be innocent through DNA examinations and the likes.”

He said since the Constitution gave presidents the power to commute death sentences, he would rather keep the person in a condemned cell.

DEATH ROW is a three-part documentary which began airing on Monday, February 19 at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm on the JOYNEWS channel on MultiTV.

It will also stream live on the Joy 99.7FM Facebook page.