University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) has expressed deep concern regarding the manner in which the police arrested peaceful protesters during Thursday’s Democracy Hub demonstration.
During the #OccupyJulorbiHouse protests organized by the Democracy Hub, a collective of young activists, 49 demonstrators marching in demand of action against the prevailing economic crisis and corruption were unlawfully apprehended by the police on Day 1 (September 21).
The police conduct during the illegal arrests, which impeded the constitutional right to protest, sparked severe criticism and accusations of deploying highhandedness.
Despite the ongoing efforts by fellow protesters and lawyers to secure bail for the detainees, the police decided to divide them into approximately eight different police stations scattered across the capital after sending them to the regional headquarters.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 22, UTAG described the police behavior as unprofessional.
“We would like to remind the GPS that their unprofessional behaviour is an affront to, and has resulted in the violation of the rights of the demonstrators to freedoms of assembly, including the right to demonstrate in a peaceful manner, speech, association and movement, and their right to dignity guaranteed in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.”
UTAG-UG believes such abuse of power by the police service extremely dangerous to the country’s burgeoning democracy
“As a group clothed with the powers of a countervailing authority under the constitution, and whose membership have expertise in all aspects of the law, democracy, human rights, security etc, we find such blatant abuse of power extremely dangerous to our burgeoning democracy.”
