NDC Condemns Arrest, Remand Of Anti-Galamsey Protesters, Demands Their Release
- The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has joined voices condemning the Ghana Police Service for its arrest and remand of Democracy Hub protesters
- It said the arrest and remand of the protesters to police and prison custody was brutal and high-handed, and reprehensible
- The NDC urged the President to revert to his campaign promise of putting his presidency on the line to fight galamsey
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has unequivocally condemned the arrest and remand of 28 Democracy Hub protesters into police custody and 11 others into prison custody.
It has also demanded the discontinuation of the prosecution of Democracy Hub protesters.
Source: UGC
The NDC’s statement follows the Accra Circuit Court’s September 24, 2024, decision to remand protesters into prison and police custody after they were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and unlawful assembly.
The NDC condemned the high-handedness of the police and the courts in the matter, particularly accusing the Ghana Police Service of being pliant to the despotic behaviour of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
The NDC, in a September 25, 2024, statement signed by the party’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, stated that the police subjecting anti-galamsey protesters to barbaric and inhumane treatment was reprehensible.
It noted that the use of brutal force to quell the protest and the subsequent denial of arrested protesters access to families and legal representatives, as well as food and water, is unjust.
The NDC noted that the Accra Circuit Court’s decision to remand these protesters to two weeks of prison and police custody for misdemeanour offences was excessive judicial action.
“The right to protest is an inviolable fundamental human right and must not be inhibited by such acts of high-handedness by the Police and the Courts,” the NDC stated.
NDC accuses government of misusing police resources
The NDC also accused the government of misusing police resources to suppress anti-galamsey protests while it was failing to address the illegal mining menace.
The NDC said the persons the police should be arresting are the government officials and the ruling party aficionados plundering the country’s natural resources.
The party urged the President to revert to his campaign promise of putting his presidency on the line to fight galamsey.
“If you have any conscience left in you, you must immediately instruct your Attorney-General to enter nolle prosequi regarding the prosecution of these protesters," the party added.
Lawyers drag police service to CHRAJ
YEN.com.gh reported that Lawyers have reported the Ghana Police Service to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice for violating protesters' fundamental rights.
The lawyers alleged that the conduct of the Ghana Police Service following the arrest and detainment of more than 45 protesters has been unconscionable and inhumane.
The lawyers have urged CHRAJ to investigate the matter and pursue legal action against the service.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
