‘I am not responsible for jailing protesters’ - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo has distanced himself from the recent detainment of protesters emphasising the independence of Ghana’s judiciary.

In an interview with France 24, Akufo-Addo stated that the executive function of the government has no interests in detaining protesters or devising mechanisms to prevent Ghanaians from airing their views on issues.

He clarified the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary, asserting that the courts operate independently of executive influence.

“I am not responsible for jailing people in Ghana. The courts in Ghana are independent institutions. And they have been all through the period of the fourth republic.”

He emphasised that legal actions against individuals stem from their behaviour and any resulting interactions with law enforcement, not from their involvement in protests or public demonstrations.

“People misconduct themselves and they are brought before courts and it’s for the courts to deal with them. And so, it has nothing to do with the executive. And then their behaviours are what lands them in problem with the police and with the courts, and not the protests,” he stated.

Akufo-Addo, whose own political career was shaped by his participation in protests, firmly dismissed any suggestions that he might have issues with public demonstrations.

How can the president, who himself... his political career was aided by leading protests, have problems with protests? I don’t have problems with protests, he remarked.

He stressed that Ghanaians are free to express their views and that there are no efforts to suppress public opinion in the country.

Nothing is done in Ghana to prevent people from airing their views on anything, Akufo-Addo concluded.

These remarks come at a time when tensions around the right to protest have been heightened, with some opposition voices accusing the government of heavy-handed tactics.

Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the leader of the Democracy Hub, has been arrested by the Ghana Police Service and in detention in connection with the recent protests organised by the group in Accra.

The police arrested 42 others, but has detained 12 others along with Barker-Vormawor for involvement in unlawful actions, including inciting public disorder and leading the group’s blockade of major roads in the capital.

The protest was to draw the government's attention to the devastating impact of illegal mining and the need for urgent action.

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