The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticized the treatment and detention of protestors at the Democracy Hub and is demanding a stop to their prosecution. In a press release, the party expressed serious concern over the decision of the Accra Circuit Court to remand 28 protestors in police custody and 11 others in prison.
The NDC highlighted the violent nature of the arrests, stating that “officers of the Ghana Police Service had arrested and manhandled several protestors” who were demonstrating against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. They added that “among those arrested were minors, the aged and a four-month-old pregnant woman who was merely taking pictures close to the scene.”
Families and legal representatives, the party noted, continue to face difficulties in gaining access to the detainees, with some protestors “denied basic necessities such as food and water.”
The NDC further condemned the court’s decision to remand the protestors for misdemeanors, stressing that “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 party demanded that those responsible for environmental destruction, particularly within the government, be held accountable instead. “The actual criminals who must face the full rigours of the law are the several irresponsible officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government… polluting our water bodies and environment.”
