By Jeremiah Nutsugah
Thirty-four Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have strongly condemned the Ghana Police Service’s recent actions against citizens protesting the surge in illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
Last weekend some democracy hub protestors were arrested by the police service.
The CSOs expressed grave concerns about Ghana’s deteriorating civic space and blatant human rights violations in a joint statement. They cited incidents of police brutality, arbitrary arrests, and inhumane treatment of peaceful protesters.
“These actions represent a grave violation of human rights and further deteriorate Ghana’s standing as a democratic state committed to upholding human rights,” the statement read.
The protests aimed to hold the government accountable for its handling of the galamsey crisis, which threatens Ghana’s water bodies, environment, and governance.
The statement further pointed out that the Constitution of Ghana, in Article 21, guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and protest.
“These rights are non-negotiable pillars of our democracy, and any attempt to curtail them undermines the fundamental freedoms of citizens. Protesters have the right to demonstrate lawfully; where there are breaches of the law, arrests are warranted. However, such arrests must be made lawfully, and the rights of those arrested, including the right to bail, must be fully respected,” it said
Press release below:
