The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has condemned the remand of 28 protesters of the Democracy Hub into police custody and 11 others into prison custody.
This follows a decision by the Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday, September 24. The demonstrators were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, namely; unlawful assembly.
In a statement signed by the NDC’s National Communications Officer, the NDC said it views this action as a grave abuse of power, accusing the governing Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government of despotic behaviour.
“We condemn in no uncertain terms the high-handedness of the Ghana Police Service and their evil collaborators in the despotic Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. It is totally reprehensible for the Police to subject civilian protestors, who are merely expressing their anger against the vexed matter of illegal mining, to such barbaric and inhumane treatment,” the September 25 release read.
The protesters, who had been participating in a three-day demonstration organised by Democracy Hub, were protesting against the devastating effects of illegal mining on Ghana’s environment.
The NDC said the protesters were met with undue force from the Ghana Police Service, leading to several arrests.
The NDC described the arrests as brutal, claiming that innocent civilians were unfairly targeted.
The party expressed concern over reports from families and legal representatives, who have claimed they have been denied access to the arrested protesters, some of whom have been deprived of necessities such as food and water. This, the NDC believes, further highlights the unjust treatment meted out to the demonstrators.
The party also criticised the Accra Circuit Court’s decision to remand the protesters, pointing out that their offences were classified as misdemeanours. The NDC reiterated that the right to protest is a fundamental human right and should not be obstructed by excessive police and judicial actions.
The press release also denounced the government, accusing it of misusing police resources to suppress protests while failing to address the illegal mining crisis that has led to severe environmental degradation. The NDC asserted that the real criminals in this situation are the government officials and ruling party functionaries involved in illegal mining, who should face prosecution instead.
Also, the release asked President Nana Akufo-Addo to uphold his earlier promise to tackle illegal mining.
“Mr President, citizens who are merely demanding a stop to the Galamsey menace, in respect of which, you promised to put your ‘Presidency on the line’, must not become targets of such brazen misuse of power by your government. If you have any conscience left in you, you must immediately instruct your Attorney-General to enter nolle prosequi in respect of the prosecution of these protesters,” it added.
