The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Ayeboafo, has asserted that the Ghana Police Service cannot use the court to prevent people from demonstrating.
“Once we practise democracy, we must understand that we should not condemn any democratic tool. The people have the right to demonstrate. But the law also requires that, when you want to demonstrate, there’s a need to inform the police and they will look at all the circumstances and if they think that it may not inure to the benefits of the country, they can take action,” the Chairman of National Media Commission said.
Amnesty International Ghana, a human rights organization, also condemned the arrest of the 49 protestors belonging to the FixTheCountry group.
The Country Director of Amnesty Ghana, Genevieve Partington, said that the action by the police is an abuse of the rights of the protestors, adding that the police acted with impunity.
“Protesters were unfortunately dehumanised in front of the police station, protesters were arrested. People’s shirts were torn, and I have seen from videos that people were beaten. And this is something that Amnesty frowns upon,” Partington asserted.
“The right to freedom of assembly and expression is a fundamental human right enshrined in the constitutions of Ghana. And it’s imperative that such rights be respected and upheld, without any undue hindrance or harassment,” She added.
On Thursday, September 21, 2023, 49 members of the FixTheCountry group were arrested by the police and distributed to different police stations.
A BBC reporter, his cameraman, and a Metro TV reporter were part of the arrested protesters, but they were subsequently released.
The group strongly condemned the actions of the police and reiterated their intention to continue the protest on Friday, September 22, 2023.
