Arise Ghana protesters granted bail
The 29 Arise Ghana protesters held for attacking the police have been granted bail, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, has revealed.
They were picked up for pelting stones at the police and vandalising property during a demonstration on 28 June 2022.
“Arrested Arise Ghana protesters granted police inquiry bail. The leadership of Arise Ghana and our lawyers are in the process of finalizing the bail processes. Arise Ghana is grateful to the IGP and the police service,” Sammy Gyamfi posted on Facebook on Thursday, 30 June 2022.
Earlier, the lawyers had accused the police of treating the suspects in an unprofessional manner.
According to the legal practitioners, the police had denied them access to their clients, citing an “order from above.”
In a statement, the pressure group demanded for the Inspector General of Police, Dr. Akuffo Dampare, to respect the 1992 constitution.
“We further demand of the IGP to order his men to respect the constitutional rights of all persons being held in detention by the Ghana Police and treat them with dignity,” the statement said.
In an earlier interview, lawyer Abraham Amaliba said he had been unable to locate all the arrested protestors.
According to him, they were dotted around with “some at Nima police station and others at the police headquarters”, he told Joy News.
Earlier, a statement from the police confirmed the arrests of the suspects “for their participation in violent attacks on the police and some members of the public, including school children”.
According to the police available video footage of the event was being reviewed, and all other persons identified as taking part in the attacks and inciting the violence will be arrested and brought to face justice.
The otherwise peaceful demonstration on Tuesday turned chaotic with injuries to some protestors and 12 police officers who were at the receiving end of the stones being pelted by the protestors.
The chaos erupted after the police formed a human barricade to stop the protestors who insisted on using their original route along the Ring Road towards the Ako-Adjei Interchange to the Independence Square, even though a court had requested an alternative route.
Motivation for the demonstration?
I) Protest against persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians.
II) Protest against the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
III) Demand a full-scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures.
IV) Protest against the grabbing of State lands by officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve.
V) Protest against the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored killing of innocent Ghanaians, as well as the growing culture of human rights abuses under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.