The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has strongly condemned the government’s arrest and detention of its members, who were protesting under the umbrella name ‘Democracy Hub’ movement.
It follows the remand of 39 persons arrested in connection with ‘unlawful’ demonstration against illegal mining at 37 Military Hospital in Accra, which turned violent.
The Democracy Hub protesters, affiliated with the NDC, have been charged with various offenses, including, unlawful assembly, causing unlawful damage, offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace, assault on public officers, and defacement of public property.
The party, in a statement signed by its National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, called for the prosecution to drop all charges against the protesters.
According to the NDC, the protestors were demonstrating against illegal mining, which has devastated the environment under the current government.
It decried what it termed as “brutal treatment” of unarmed civilians, including minors, the elderly, and a pregnant woman.
The opposition party said reports indicated that families and lawyers were struggling to access detained protestors, who were allegedly being denied basic necessities like food and water.
The NDC again denounced an alleged high-handedness of the police and government, emphasising that protesting is a fundamental human right.
“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 statement indicated.
According to the NDC, even more disgusting is the decision by the Accra Circuit Court to remand the protestors for offences charged them, describing them as “misdemeanours.”
“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 NDC noted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu