The IGP and the Attorney General have been dragged to court by 32 Democracy Hub protestors

The 32 claimants, who include well-known activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, claim that their rights as demonstrators were violated when they were detained during the Democracy Hub demonstration in Accra.

The petitioners claim that during the protest, the Ghana Police made unauthorized arrests, detained people, and refused to grant bail.

The petitioners claim in the affidavit that the Ghana Police Service’s actions during the protest violated several international and constitutional rights, such as the right to freedom of assembly and association guaranteed by Article 21(d) of the 1992 Constitution.

Some of the reliefs demanded are;

• A Declaration that the conduct of the Ghana Police Service in disrupting the peaceful protest violated Article 21(d) of the 1992 Constitution, Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• A Declaration that the Respondents have violated applicants rights to liberty and security of their person and freedom from unlawful and arbitrary arrest and detention enshrined in Article 14 of the 1992 constitution, Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Principles 2 and 11 of the Body of Principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
• A Declaration that Respondents have violated applicants’ right to legal representation enshrined in Article 14(2) of the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
• A Declaration that denying the Applicants basic necessities while in detention violated their right to human dignity as enshrined in Article 15 of the 1992 constitution, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
• A declaration that the detention of some Applicants for more than 48 hours before bringing them before a court violated their rights under Article 14(3)(b) of the 1992 constitution.
• A declaration that the force used by Respondents on Applicants was excessive, unreasonable and unjustifiable.
• A Declaration that the conduct of Respondents is in breach of the standards of fairness and reasonableness under Article 23, proper use of discretion under Article 296, and all implied rights inherent in a democracy intended to secure the freedom and dignity of man which include the right not to be subjected to arbitrary and malicious prosecution under Article 33(5) of the 1992 Constitution.
• An order directed at the Respondents to pay to the Applicants compensation for unlawful and unwarranted breach of the Applicants’ fundamental human rights.
• Cost and legal fees.

The lawsuit was filed the same day as a different group of activists launched a three-day protest against unlicensed mining and asked the Attorney General to free the 53 demonstrators who had been sent to jail and police custody for a fortnight.

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has already received a petition from a group of attorneys accusing the Ghana Police Service of abusing the rights of protestors during the most recent StopGalamsey demonstration.