Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticized the recent detention of protesters in the country, calling the court’s decision overly harsh.
The leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), voiced his disapproval of the Circuit Court’s ruling, describing it as an excessive measure that would not silence public dissent against national issues. He urged a reassessment of the ruling, advocating for the release of the detained protesters on bail.
In a social media post, Mahama stated, we must strike a balance between upholding law and order and safeguarding the rights and freedoms of our citizens. According to him, remanding the Democracy Hub protesters for two weeks is excessive and a violation of their rights.
He emphasized the importance of allowing the youth of Ghana to demonstrate peacefully, especially on critical matters such as environmental destruction from illegal mining, adding that “draconian judicial decisions” will not deter them from standing up for their future.
Mahama concluded by urging authorities to intervene, requesting that the judge reconsider the remand and grant bail to the protesters.
Below is his full post:
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.
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.