President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has clarified that the Executive had no involvement in the recent arrests of protesters in Ghana, stressing that the legal actions taken were due to breaches of the rule of law and not an attempt to suppress dissent. In an interview with France 24, the President explained, “People misconduct themselves, and they are brought before court. It is for the court to deal with them. This has nothing to do with the Executive.” He highlighted the independence of Ghana’s judiciary and its role in managing such cases.
The controversy arose after the Ghana Police Service arrested 42 demonstrators from the Democracy Hub protest, which escalated into violent clashes. The protesters were rallying against economic mismanagement and illegal small-scale mining (galamsey). Of those arrested, 39 were charged with offenses such as conspiracy to commit a crime, unlawful assembly, and causing damage, with their bail requests being denied.
Despite the arrests, President Akufo-Addo reaffirmed that peaceful protests are not prohibited by law, noting his own history as a protest leader. He emphasized that “nothing is done in Ghana to prevent people from airing their views.”