The Ghana Chapter of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Geneva, Switzerland has condemned the attitude of government of Ghana for the imposition of the COVID-19 vaccination on its citizens.
According to the IHRC, the compulsory enforcement of the intake of vaccination on Ghanaians is against “people’s rights and freedom” since it “should be by choice and not by force.
The situation, it said “does not have any basis in the 1992 constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.”
The commission’s condemnations follows the recent announcement by the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, and publications that the government will inspect COVID-19 cards beginning January 2022.
In a statement dated December 14, 2021 and signed by the Coordinator/Special Envoy to Ghana, Prof Michael Kwateng, added that with its findings on the development it suggests the government allows the citizenry to decide their own fate amid taking the jabs.
“Per the reports gathered so far from our international researchers, we think that it is advisable for the government to allow ordinary Ghanaians to decide rather than imposing it on them,” it said.
Quoting Article 14 1 (d) of the 1992 constitution which states that “every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of his personal liberty except the person is suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, a person of unsound mind, a person addicted to drugs or alcohol or a vagrant, for the purpose of his care or treatment or the protection of the community”, the IHRC said that the government’s move goes against the afore-mentioned article.
It also stressed that, the action of the government is also against Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.
According to IHRC despite the government’s efforts in creating awareness on the COVID-19 since its emerged in 2019, there has been little or no education about the composition and effects of the vaccines.
The statement further hinted on some reportage at their feet on the vaccines where there has been refusal of most nations and people to take the jabs due to some circumstances.
“There are instances where people who have received their jabs still get the virus. There are also instances of reported cases elsewhere where expired vaccines were given to people. There are reported cases of complications and even death.
To this, Ghana Chapter of the International Human Rights Commission believes “it will be suicidal to force people using various schemes and machinations to accept the vaccines” because most Ghanaian are already scared on the basis of contracting the virus even taking the jabs as well as cases of injecting expired vaccines.
The group is however calling on the government to reconsider its decision and allow Ghanaians to decide themselves.
