The Accra Circuit Court has discharged seven, out of the 53 Democracy Hub protesters standing trial for various offences.
The released individuals include Kingsley Adiedu, Seth Cofie, Gloria Louis, Nii Quaye Hammond, Manuel Biney, Joseph Dorsese, and Ernest Acheampong.
State attorneys announced that they would discontinue the trial against the seven protesters and confirmed that they had submitted a second batch of disclosures.
They further indicated that they would submit witness statements on the next adjourned date.
The court has set the next hearing for November 21, 2024.
Nicholas Normeshie, the lawyer for the discharged protesters, expressed satisfaction with the state’s decision. He emphasized that his clients were innocent and questioned the likelihood of their re-arrest.
“The state made the right decision to drop the charges against these seven clients, as they were innocent of the accusations. From the state’s position, I highly doubt they will be re-arrested. If that were the case, it would have happened immediately after the court session,” Normeshie said.
Meanwhile, the remaining protesters will continue to face trial as the case progresses in the coming weeks.
This decision followed an appeal against an earlier ruling by the court, which denied bail to the nine accused persons.
The nine are Ama Governor, Emmanuel Gyan, Emmanuel Kwabena Addo, Ziblim Yakubu, Oheneba Prempeh, Philip Owusu Kobina, Desmond Akisbik, Von Coffie, and Sadik Yakubu.
As part of the bail conditions, they were required to report to the Ghana Police Service once a week.
The nine were part of the protesters arrested during the #OccupyJulorbiHouse demonstration intended to raise awareness about the harmful effects of illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, on the environment and local communities.