A Human Rights institution and advocate, Amnesty International Ghana (AI) has officially launched the ongoing global campaign dubbed ‘Protect the Protest,’ at a national dialogue event held in Accra.
The event is to stir up a national conversation on how the rights of protesters can be respected, to encourage Ghanaians and those beyond Ghana to take part in peaceful protest and to ensure their voices are heard safely without any repercussions.
Speaking at the event, the Country Director of Amnesty Ghana, Ms Genevieve Partington, said the campaign seeks to throw more light on Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution which gives every Ghanaian the right to assembly or express a counter opinion.
Ms Partington said despite this right, state authorities sometimes try to suppress peaceful protest through excessive force, arrest or intimidation to prevent the citizens from expressing their distaste for happenings.
“But AI Ghana will ensure legal advocacy as a tool for protesters to know their rights and to challenge any unlawful actions by state authorities. We will also continue to bring attention to cases of repression through media campaigns, diplomatic pressure and reports,” she stated
Even though AI Ghana is aware that when it comes to peaceful protest, sometimes it is infiltrated by some individuals or groups with some ill motive to incite violence leading to a loss of credibility for the organizers of the protest, “we will support protest organizers to ensure clear messaging, emphasize the importance of non-violence and set clear guidelines during protest.”
“We are also bent on training protestors on best practices for protest observation and monitor suspicious behaviour during such events.”
The Country Director of AI Ghana, also assured protesters of using their social media platforms to share real-time updates and videos of protests to ensure that events are documented and that alternative sources of information are made public for Ghanaians to get the full perspective.
“I believe the dialogue today will enable us as a nation to understand the intricacies of peaceful assembly, and as stakeholders, we can go home reflecting on how we can contribute to this campaign by ensuring that the citizens have the right to peaceful assembly,” she stated.
The national dialogue was opened with discussions from a human rights promoter Dr. Vincent Adzahie-Mensah, Head of Humanity and Social Sciences at Ashesi University, Dr. Maame S A Mansa-Bonsu, a media personality at Metro TV, Mrs. Bridget Otoo, a human right activists Mr. Oliver Barker Vormowor and moderated by Mr. Sampson Larbi Ayenini
These panellists agreed that citizen should voice out their displeasure through protest rather than engaging in civil war.
They also spelt it out clearly that protesters also have a right to protest and it is up to the authorities to respect that right rather than trying to use force or intimidation to stop them.
