President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is facing mounting pressure to address military abuses in Ashaiman.
Many expect the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, to make a public statement on the subject.
Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization, is the most recent to apply pressure.
“Amnesty International Ghana opposes all forms of violence and human rights violations, and condemns military violence against civilians. The military will step back and allow the Ghana Police Service to conduct thorough investigations into the soldier’s unfortunate death “It was stated in a statement.
According to the human rights advocacy group, the President had an opportunity to address the issue during his state of the nation address but chose not to.
“We would like to respectfully remind the President of Ghana, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Minister of Interior, the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces, and other authorities involved in law enforcement in Ghana, that under their international human rights obligations, they must promptly, independently, thoroughly, and effectively investigate this unfortunate incident,” It went on to say.
This follows the invasion of Ashaiman by some soldiers following the death of a young military officer.In the hope of finding the killers of their colleague, the soldiers brutalized several residents.
The full statement is provided below.
MILITARY BRUTALITY IN ASHAIMAN IS CONDEMNED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GHANA.
Amnesty International Ghana has taken note of a video recording circulating on social media and other news outlets of alleged military brutality in Ashaiman on Saturday, March 4, 2023, following the alleged stabbing and killing of a young soldier, Imoro Sherrif.
According to media reports, the Military High Command issued a mandate to deploy military personnel into Ashaiman to search for the perpetrators of the crime, which unfortunately resulted in innocent civilians facing brutality from military personnel. A number of human rights violations, including flogging, restricting residents’ freedom of movement, and breaking into people’s homes, were inflicted on residents of the Ashaiman Constituency.
As a result of this inhumane incident, innocent people have suffered both physically and psychologically.
This is in no way consistent with the military’s mandate, which clearly states that “the Armed Forces shall be equipped and maintained to perform their role of defence of Ghana as well as such other functions for the development of Ghana as the President may determine”- 1992 Ghana Constitution, Article 210 clause (3).
The Armed Forces Act, 1962 Act 105 of Ghana imposes obligations on military officers as defenders of the nation. It obligates them not to infringe on the rights of others except to the extent necessary to pursue the legitimate goal they are pursuing.
Amnesty International Ghana opposes all forms of violence and human rights violations, and condemns the military’s violence against civilians. The military will step back and allow the Ghana Police Service to conduct thorough investigations into the soldier’s unfortunate death.
We would like to respectfully remind the President of Ghana, who is the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Minister of Interior, the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces, and other authorities involved in law enforcement in Ghana that they must promptly, independently, thoroughly, and effectively investigate this unfortunate incident in accordance with their international human rights obligations.
Amnesty International Ghana is calling for an independent investigation to be launched as soon as possible to ensure that military personnel involved in human rights violations against the people of Ashaiman are held accountable and that adequate compensation is provided to the victims.
We would like to reiterate what the Ashaiman MP said to the people of Ashaiman: all parties should exercise restraint and remain calm while we seek justice.
Amnesty International is a non-profit, non-political human rights organization that works to promote and protect fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights standards. It is a global movement involving over 10 million people from over 160 countries.