A member of the legal team representing the Democracy Hub protesters, Noah Adamtey has alleged that the state is not interested in ensuring justice in the prosecution of his clients.

He claims that the state's focus is on punishing the protesters to prevent them from protesting against the galamsey issue.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, September 26, Mr Adamtey stated that the remanded protesters were denied access to their lawyers, which is a constitutional right.

He also mentioned that in the case of the pregnant woman, she had informed the police about her condition, but this information was not relayed to the lawyers or the court.

“So clearly, I will say that state interest in this matter is not to achieve justice but to punish persons that they think should not protest against the conditions going on in the country,” he indicated.

This statement follows the remanding of over 50 protesters into police and prison custody.

Also, the Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana has condemned the police for what she describes as an abuse of power in their handling of recent arrests related to the protest against illegal mining.

Genevieve Partington expressed concern over the police's treatment of the accused, adding that the constitutional rights of the accused are being violated.

Madam Partington said that despite the destruction of property during the protest, the individuals arrested must still be considered innocent until proven guilty.

"The problem is, yes, they may have destroyed property, but at the end of the day, everyone that is arrested or picked up is innocent until proven guilty by the court of law.

"So, as they are on remand, they need to be treated with the basic human rights they deserve, as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution," she stated.

She also criticised the police for targeting individuals who were not directly involved in the protest but were showing support.

"This is a complete abuse of power by the Ghana Police Service. They are arresting people who are either related to the protest or showing support.

"I heard news that yesterday, a certain person who was helping provide food and water to some of the accused persons in certain police stations was arrested," she added.