Private legal practitioner Francis-Xavier Sosu has voiced strong criticism of the Attorney General (AG) and the Minister of Justice, accusing him of leading a campaign of injustice against ordinary citizens.

In an interview on Joy FM's Top Story on October 3, 2024, Mr Sosu expressed his dismay over the arrest and detention of protesters, who, he argues, were exercising their constitutional rights peacefully.

Read also: 32 Democracy Hub protesters drag IGP, AG to court over human rights violations

His comments come in the wake of a suit filed by 32 protesters, including lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame.

The applicants are alleging that their rights were violated during a Democracy Hub protest aimed at drawing attention to illegal mining (galamsey). They argue that their arrest, detention, and refusal of bail by the Ghana Police Service are unconstitutional.

"It is quite sad that you have a situation where you have an Attorney General and a Minister of Justice who is leading the charge to mete out injustice to poor Ghanaians," Sosu said, expressing disappointment over the treatment of peaceful protesters.

He pointed out that, in many cases, these protesters were being treated as guilty before any determination was made in court.

In their affidavit, the applicants accuse the police of breaching several constitutional and international human rights provisions, including the right to freedom of assembly guaranteed by Article 21(d) of the 1992 Constitution.

The protesters also claim that their detention violated their fundamental rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other conventions.

Mr Sosu was especially shocked by the court’s decision to remand protesters for offences that he sees as clear misdemeanours.

According to him, "there have been instances where people walked into a court and freed people being held", adding that those people did not land in prison and police custody.

“What is happening in this country? Why are we turning the country into a banana republic?" he asked.

Mr Sosu also stressed the broader social impact of galamsey, urging everyone, including the police and judges, to be cautious of its long-term effects, particularly the destruction of water bodies, which could lead to a lack of potable water in the future.

Meanwhile, another group of activists commenced a three-day demonstration against illegal mining and also petitioned the Attorney-General to release the 53 protesters remanded to prison and police custody for two weeks.

A group of lawyers has already filed a petition against the Ghana Police Service at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for allegedly violating the rights of demonstrators at the recent StopGalamsey protest.