Lawyer and one of the leaders of the Democracy Hub, Oliver Barker-Vormawor has described as inhumane the conditions in the police cells.
The Ghana Police Service arrested Oliver Barker-Vormawor, lead convener of the Democracy Hub protest, on Monday, September 23, 2024, due to allegations of unlawful conduct during the group’s demonstration on September 21-22.
The police, initially, issued a statement labeling Oliver Vormawor wanted, but he refuted these allegations via a Facebook post, he referred to those claims as “baseless and misleading”. The police cited Vormawor’s involvement in “various unlawful acts” at the 37 intersection as the cause of his arrest.
Although Mr. Barker-Vormawor was arrested alongside 53 others for their involvement in the #StopGalamsey protest, he was denied bail, citing the need for further investigation and potential public unrest if he was released.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor was later released from police custody on Monday, October 21, 2024, after meeting a GHS 20,000 bail condition with two sureties.
In an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Mr. Barker-Vormawor disclosed the harsh reality in police cells, describing the living conditions in the police cell as ‘inhumane’. He highlighted the cell’s harsh conditions, citing lack of food provision, overcrowded cells, and inmates’ lack of comfortable sleeping arrangements.
“One of the first things that I was shocked by the first time was the idea that inmates were not being fed. When I got in there, those cells were heavily packed. Individuals don’t even have a place to sit. So where I stayed now, when I got in there, there were about 32 people in there. But the cell leader tells me that they have gone up to 71 before. This is a place which is no bigger than this studio. I’m telling you. And the way in which people sleep, you sleep on your rib,” he explained.
He continued: “In fact, they mentally have divided that everybody gets half a tile. So when there’s one tile, you must try to squeeze yourself. When there is one tile, you must ensure that your body fits half of the tile. And there are people who pack sleeping arrangements. They pack you, so you lie there. Somebody pushes you and you must stay in that position. Whether sweating, whatever it is, you must stay there. Because if you don’t do that, you will be disrupting the whole cell. It is so inhumane. So you are lumped together.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Salimatu Nuhu
