A group staging a series of demonstrations to call attention to the scourge of illegal mining activities plaguing the country, has accused the police of deliberately mistreating protesters who were arrested at the 37 roundabout in Accra.
In a press statement, the group said it was finding difficulty in identifying the exact location the police had taken some participants of the protests following their arrest.
“As at 2 am yesterday, the whereabouts of several protestors who were arrested, including activist Ralph St Williams, remain unknown. Our lawyers and organizers have been to 18 police stations to no avail. This lack of information continues to be a serious concern for lawyers and families of those arrested,” the statement said.
It added that “some protestors have been transported to locations outside Accra, evidently to further complicate the provision of legal support,” blasting it as “a deliberate attempt to impede access to legal representation and support services”.
Democracy Hub, the group which had tussled with the police over routes and protests location in the lead up to their event over the weekend, urged law enforcement to “respect the basic human rights of all protestors” as any act of mistreatment “constitutes a grave abuse of power and an affront to the principles of justice and human dignity”.
The protests at the 37 roundabout in Accra saw a few skirmishes between protesters and police over the weekend.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Mitchell Asare Amoamah
