John Dramani Mahama
Former President John Mahama has condemned the government’s handling of the recent Democracy Hub demonstration, labeling the two-week remand of protesters as “high-handed” and an “abuse of their rights.”
Former President Mahama who joined the Crusade of his party, National Democratic Congress, NDC, to defend the hooligans emphasized the need to balance law and order with safeguarding citizens’ rights, particularly the youth’s freedom to express concerns on critical issues like environmental degradation through illegal mining.
Democracy Hub Demonstration
The Democracy Hub, a civil society organization, organized the protest to raise awareness on various national issues.
However, the demonstration turned violent, leading to arrests and the subsequent remand of protesters.
So far some of them have been remanded into custody following the violent protest in Accra.
In a post on his Facebook page, John Mahama urged authorities to request the judge to review the remand decision and grant the protesters bail immediately, warning that draconian measures won’t silence the youth.
He said “High-handedness! We must balance our need to maintain law and order with protecting the rights and freedoms of our citizens”.
“Remanding Democracy Hub demonstrators for 2 weeks is high-handed and an abuse of their rights,” he said.
“The youth of Ghana have a right to engage in manifestations to protect their future especially in respect of key issues like the destruction of the environment through illegal mining”.
“Draconian judicial decisions such as this won’t stop them from speaking out. The authorities must request the judge to review the remand decision and grant them bail immediately,” Mr Mahama stated.
-BY Daniel Bampoe