Ensuring Peaceful Assembly: Safeguarding the Rights of Protestors

Genevieve Partington, the Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana, has outlined Amnesty’s objectives and strategies to safeguard the rights of protestors while ensuring the protection of peaceful assembly.

This comes after Amnesty International Ghana launched the “Protect the Protest” campaign on Wednesday, March 28, 2024.

In an interview with RGGNEWS, Genevieve Partington emphasized the importance of delineating where the rights of individuals begin and end.

She stated that against the backdrop of increasing protests in Ghana, largely spurred by economic challenges and other contentious issues, the campaign aims to equip protestors with knowledge about their rights and advocate for their protection by security forces.

With the upcoming election year expected to see a surge in demonstrations, the country director highlighted key issues the campaign will address.

These include examining the conduct of security forces towards protestors, ensuring freedom of assembly, and mitigating the fear of arrest among protestors.

As part of their efforts, she mentioned that Amnesty International Ghana plans to produce a documentary, tracing the historical evolution of protests in Ghana.

This documentary will shed light on how past and present protests have shaped the country’s socio-political landscape.

Moreover, she stated that engagements with academics, legal experts, and other stakeholders are also planned to reinforce citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly.

In the words of the country director, the decision to launch this campaign stems from instances of rights abuse during previous protests, notably during the “Occupy Julorbi” protest last year. She stressed the importance of enabling citizens to express their grievances through peaceful protests while ensuring their safety and awareness of the purpose behind their demonstrations.

She added that Amnesty International Ghana will engage in dialogue with Ghanaian security forces to foster mutual understanding and cooperation in protecting the right to peaceful assembly.

Genevieve Partington also mentioned that protecting this right involves all stakeholders, not just protestors, and reiterated the organization’s commitment to defending human rights irrespective of individuals’ backgrounds.