The Accra High Court has dismissed and struck out a suit filed by the Ghana Police Service against the Generational Rights Protection Society (GRPS), allowing the group to proceed with their planned anti-galamsey demonstration.
The demonstration, scheduled for April 28-30, aims to raise awareness about the devastating effects of illegal mining on the environment and water bodies.
The GRPS had served the police with a notice of intention to demonstrate, citing Section 1 of the Public Order Act, Act 491. However, the police invited the group for a meeting, only to serve them with a court notice to appear in court, claiming that the demonstration posed a security risk due to its proximity to the Jubilee House.
The High Court’s ruling has given the GRPS the green light to proceed with their demonstration as planned. The court’s decision was met with relief and jubilation from the group, who had maintained that their right to demonstrate is enshrined in law.
Okatakyie Afrifa, Convener of GRPS, thanked the court for its ruling and called on all Ghanaians to join the demonstration.
“Yesterday, the police administration at the Accra region called GRPS into a meeting, and then to our surprise, they ambushed us with a court suit, trying to frustrate the processes against our planned demonstration. Indeed, we abide by the suit, and we appeared before the Accra High Court, Criminal Court 5 this morning.”
Adding that”fortunately for us, when we came, the High Court has tried out the suit for which the police administration filed against us. The court has thrown out and struck out their case, and so everything we have planned from day one is still on course.”
According to Kwame Appiah Kubi, convener for the Generational Rights Protection Society (GRPS) the police were simply saying that they were not going to allow them to mass up in front of the Jubilee House.
He expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling and is proceeding with plans for the demonstration. The event is expected to draw attention to the pressing issue of galamsey and its impact on Ghana’s environment and economy.
Source: Bernard K Dadzie; Greater Accra Region
