The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Opoku Agyemang has called on the government to drop charges against Democracy Hub protesters who were arrested and detained.
She is also demanding their immediate release, citing the need to protect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and free speech.
Speaking at Bogoso in the western Region through her campaign spokesperson, James Agyenim Boateng, Professor Agyemang expressed deep concern at the brutal treatment meted out to the demonstrators by officers of the Ghana Police Service.
“I am extremely concerned and find it reprehensible how the police have brutalized the protestors,” she said.
“It is unacceptable that the government chooses to arrest individuals demonstrating against the illegal destruction of our forest reserves, while those allegedly engaged in galamsey activities remain free,” she stated.
She described the arrests of the demonstrators as a blatant example of undemocratic behavior by the ruling administration.
The protestors were demonstrating against illegal mining activities, known as galamsey, which have led to severe environmental degradation and loss of Ghana’s forest resources.
“There must be an immediate end to the prosecution of these individuals, and we demand their release.
This behavior by the government is reminiscent of practices from the fourteenth century, where dissent was met with brutality and suppression,” she added.
The protesters, who had been participating in a three-day demonstration organized by Democracy Hub, were protesting against the devastating effects of illegal mining on Ghana’s environment.
The protesters were met with “undue force” from the Ghana Police Service, leading to several arrests.
Story By: Emmanuel Coffie
