Africans Rising Decry the Muting of Democracy in Ghana

The violation of the human rights of protesters in Ghana has been condemned by Africans Rising. This was during a press conference organised  by Africans Rising in collaboration with Economic Fighters League, Democracy Hub, A Rocha Ghana and partners on 27th of September 2024. A joint statement  released by the organisations, was read out to journalists to shed light on the recent arrest of over 50 young Ghanaians for their participation in the DemocracyHub StopGalamsey protests.

According to the statement read by Africans Rising Coordinator, Hardi Yakubu, Ghanaian citizens have been protesting against illegal mining and environmental destruction, leading to a three-day demonstration. The Ghana police service arrested over 50 protesters, highlighting the erosion of basic freedoms such as the right to speak, assemble, and protest against injustices.

The protesters were kept in undisclosed locations, without access to lawyers or food. The police also prevented well wishers from supplying essentials, causing bodily pain and psychological torture.

The protesters were met with force, not dialogue, and their rights were violated. The detention of minors, pregnant women, and elderly citizens in inhumane conditions is a failure of governance and a betrayal of the promises made under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

These brave citizens, whose only crime is calling attention to the scourge of illegal mining, galamsey, which poisons Ghanian water, destroys the environment, and imperils the future of the nation, have been met not with dialogue, but with force.

The organisations demand:

• The immediate release of all unjustly detained protesters and the thorough investigation of all human rights violations.
• Civil society organisations, human rights groups, student groups, labour unions, and citizens of Ghana are called upon to add their voices to the call for accountability until every remanded protester is free and their rights fully restored.

Just like in 1948, the protesters are invoking the history of African independence and revolutionary fighters to stand for who they are and fight against galamsey and their winning must take place on the streets.