#OccupyJulorbiHouse: It was illegal for police to detain demonstrators without a warrant, according to Inusah Fuseini

 

 

 

Inusah Fuseini, a lawyer and former Tamale Central MP, has denounced the police for detaining demonstrators on September 21.

Inusah Fuseini claimed the police shouldn’t have detained anyone without a warrant in an interview that aired on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.

The Public Order Act has ten sections, and there are specified offences under the Act. The identity of the person who violates the Act has been disclosed. Since the police are allowed to make arrests without a warrant for any other Act crime, notice is required. The only time the police have the authority to make an arrest without a warrant has been specified, so you must issue a criminal summons, he said.

For this reason, believes that “what the police had done, arresting the people without a warrant was clearly unlawful.”

49 persons who turned up outside the Jubilee House and the 37 Military Hospital to take part in the #OccupyJulorBiHouse action were detained by the police on Thursday.

YouTube:Joynews

According to a statement from the police, these suspects were detained for illegal assembly and violating the Public Order Act.

The police claimed that the individuals detained defied court orders delivered to the organisers’ attorneys, Democracy Hub, asking them not to participate in the scheduled event.

On Friday, the police freed the protestors they had detained.

Amnesty International, Occupy Ghana, the National Media Commission, the University Teachers Association (UTAG), and the Civil Society Organisation have all denounced the arrest of nonviolent protestors.

OccupyGhana claims that the arrests violated the protestors’ fundamental right to freedom of expression and assembly and were therefore unconstitutional.

“In a democratic society, we firmly maintain the notion that the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression rests on the right to peaceful protest. All state institutions must steadfastly uphold and protect these rights, which are guaranteed by the Constitution, it added in a statement.