US Report On Ghana Police, Judiciary Lends Support to Public Perceptions About Poor Governance – Col Aboagye

• A security analyst has commented on an analysis by the US Department of State about law enforcement in Ghana
• Col Festus Aboagye said the accounts of the US government on policing and judiciary lends credence to public perceptions of poor governance
• He has advised civil society to intensify their work of highlighting abuses by the government and its agencies

Security Analyst Col Festus Aboagye (Rtd) has said a damning US State Department report on law enforcement in Ghana affirms widespread perception about poor governance.

In an exclusive interview, the author and lecturer at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College told YEN.com.gh that the report indicts the rule of law and democratic accountability in Ghana.

“It reinforces several persistent or deepening fault lines whose implications for national security the authorities don’t seem to take seriously,” he lamented.

Read also

Judges took bribes to lose records of cases – US State Department report

One such public perception Col Aboagye is referring to was captured in a survey by Global Info Analytics released in late April.

The report shows that most Ghanaian citizens are disgruntled about the direction of the country’s development under Nana Akufo-Addo.

According to Global Info Analytics, 67% of Ghanaians think the country’s development is on the wrong path.

An influential report by the US Department of State on human rights issues in Ghana has provided many instances of abuses and impunity by the Ghana Police Service and corruption by the Judiciary.

The report disclosed that significant human rights issues like torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment were carried out by the government or its agencies.

While Ghana’s laws prohibit such abuses and impunity, the US Department of State report stated that there were credible reports that police beat and abused detained suspects and other citizens.

Read also

14 examples of abuses, impunity by Ghana police on citizens according to US gov’t report

Col Aboagye said the report is also a compliment to the work of the civil society in Ghana because it cites research by credible civil society institutions in the country.

“Under the circumstance, the onus is on civil society to increase pointing out these threats and risks and calling for more accountable governance,” he advised.

The police, Judiciary and other government agencies mentioned in the "2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Ghana" are yet to respond.

14 Instances Of Abuses, Impunity Mentioned In US Department of State Report On Ghana Police

Meanwhile, the report provided 14 specific examples of abuses and impunity by the Ghana Police Service.

The report disclosed that significant human rights issues like torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment were carried out by the government or its agencies.

YEN.com.gh has compiled the 14 specific instances of abuse, illegality, and unprofessional conduct by the police and other law enforcement agencies mentioned in the report.

Source: YEN.com.gh