The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has asked heads of four state institutions to render comments with regard to election violence and the killing of a citizen during the 2020 elections.
The institutional heads are the Inspector General of Police (IGP); Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul; Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery; and the Chief of Defense Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces.
According to the commission, the request for comments is in line with Section 14 (1) and (2) of CHRAJ’s Act 1993, Act 456 which states that “where the Commission decides to conduct an investigation under this Act, it shall give the authority or person concerned and to any other person who is alleged in the complaint to have taken or authorized the act or omission complained of, an opportunity to comment on the allegations contained in the Commission”.
In a letter dated September 28, 2021 and issued to the four heads, CHRAJ noted that it has received a complaint from the Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa and Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah on behalf of some citizens against the IGP and the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery.
The letter indicated that “the complainants [ Samuel Oku Okudjeto Ablakwa and Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah] allege in their complaint a number of violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, injustice, unfair treatment and abuse of power by some members of the National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) in the just ended 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections”
The IGP, Interior Minister and the two named heads or their representatives are required to submit their responses concerning the election violence within ten days upon receipt of the letter.
The CHRAJ commissioner, Joseph Whittal, in his letter called for co-operation to expedite investigations into the allegations contained in the complaint.
In the meantime, the Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Jean Mensa, at an ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar in Winneba asked the security agencies to publish findings from their investigations regarding circumstances that led to the killing of seven persons during the 2020 general elections for the public.
While lauding the 2020 general elections as transparent and historic, the EC boss added that recommendations from the security agencies will enhance future elections.
But, the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC, John Mahama has refuted Jean Mensa’s claims saying that the 2020 elections is the worst in the country’s electoral history since 1992.
The 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections albeit being relatively peaceful was marred by some incidents such as violence in some electoral areas, snatching of ballot papers and some shooting incidents.
