Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Mahama has joined calls for the immediate release of over forty (40) Ghanaian youth remanded for two (2) weeks for protesting against illegal mining (Galamsey).
About 11 of those arrested by the Police have been remanded into Prison custody by an Accra Magistrate court, while the rest are with the Police. Reports also suggest those arrested including a pregnant woman, were denied food, a development many including governance think tanks and Civil Society groups have described as weird and an indictment on the Judiciary especially because of their denial of legal representation.
John Mahama describes the two-week remand of the Democracy Hub protestors as high-handedness.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, September 26,2024 he wrote … “We must balance our need to maintain law and order with protecting the rights and freedoms of our citizens””the youth of Ghana have a right to engage in manifestations to protect their future especially in respect of key issues like the destruction of the environment through illegal mining” he added
Mr. Mahama is thus calling on the authorities to request the judge to review the remand decision and grant them bail immediately.