By: Emmanuel Amoah
Genevieve Partington, Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana, has called for an independent investigation into the recent arrests of protesters at the Democracy Hub. The demonstration was aimed at addressing the surge of illegal mining in Ghana.
Partington stressed that regardless of police claims of unlawful behavior by the protesters, their fundamental human rights must be respected. She also highlighted the need to reassess the Public Order Act of 1994 (Act 491), citing its significant flaws and the excessive power it grants to security forces, particularly the police, over public demonstrations.
At a press conference, Partington outlined Amnesty’s key demands: “We request a comprehensive list of all detained protesters and their locations. We also urge that those unlawfully arrested receive compensation as stipulated by Ghanaian law. Most importantly, an independent investigation must be conducted to prevent such injustices and inhumane treatment of citizens in the future.”
In a related development, the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is also challenging the Ghana Police Service over what they describe as unlawful tactics used in the recent arrest of approximately 40 citizens during the #StopGalamseyNow protest.
Michael Augustus Akagbor, Senior Programmes Officer at CDD-Ghana, expressed deep concern regarding the treatment of young protesters. He criticized the police for their approach, suggesting that there is a discriminatory bias in how they respond to demonstrations by young people.
“The police seem to approach young protesters with the mindset of teaching them a lesson,” Akagbor said. “This manhandling indicates a lack of respect for the rights of these citizens, who are simply exercising their civil and political freedoms
