President Nana Akufo-Addo has asserted the jailing of protesters from the Democracy Hub demonstrations of September 2024, contrary to public notion, was not an order from above.

He was speaking to France 24.

The fifth president of the fourth republic, he argued the current republic was not a police state.

He argued the protesters who have been remanded into police and prison custody, flouted the law and were being handled per the judgements of an institution independent of his office’s powers.

President Akufo-Addo doubled down on his noninvolvement with the controversial matter, underlining Ghanaians had a right to freedom of speech and expression.

He noted being a popular protester himself, it would be absurd for him to be against protests.

“I’m not responsible for jailing people in Ghana. The courts in Ghana are independent institutions, and they have been all through this period of the fourth republic,” Mr Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said.

“[When] people misconduct themselves and they’re brought before court, it’s for the court to deal with them. It has nothing to do with the executive. Their behaviour is what lands them in problems with the police and the courts. It’s not the protest.”

He asked: “How can the president whose political career was aided by leading protests have problems with protests?”

“I don’t have problems with protests. Nothing is done in Ghana to prevent people from airing their views on anything,” the president said.

Civil advocacy group Democracy Hub, convened by Oliver Baker-Vormawor, against a court order, held their anti-illegal mining protest of September 21 to 23 at the Revolutionary Square, which is in the 37 area and leads to the seat of government, the Golden Jubilee House.

Having ignored alternative venues suggested by the police, protesters we witnessed obstructing traffic flow with barriers of stone and tree branches, setting a fire in a road, snatching the keys of a police vehicle, etc. Thus, protesters were arrested, arraigned and remanded. They are to reappear in court on October 8 and 11.

In reaction, the flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President John Mahama said on Facebook: “Draconian judicial decisions such as this won’t stop them from speaking out. The authorities must request the judge to review the remand decision and grant them bail immediately.”

Though he strongly disagrees with the jailing of the protesters, private legal practitioner and political pundit Martin Kpebu said on JoyNews, according to the court, protesters were denied bail because it was not clear where they lived and whether or not they were resident in Ghana.  

Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana Genevieve Partington has called for an independent investigation into the arrest of the protesters.

Meanwhile, between October 3 and 5, another group, Concerned Citizens Against Galamsey, went on a protest to demand the release of the Democracy Hub protesters. They also added their voice to calls for an immediate end to illegal mining, alias galamsey. Among other things, in song and with placards, participants claimed and mocked police for being stooges of the executive arm of government.

No arrests were made during this protest, however, and organisers repeatedly praised the police for their professionalism.