A Deputy Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Malik Basintale, has commended members of the Democracy Hub who staged a 3-day demonstration last weekend to demand action from the government against illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey).
He urged the demonstrators not to be scared or shy about the decision to protest, which led to their arrest by the Police.
Commenting on the denial of bail for the arrested democracy hub members, on TV3’s Big Issue on Wednesday, September 25, he said “I salute all the members of Democracy Hub, you are our heroes, don’t be shy.”
Twenty-eight persons from different backgrounds who participated in the 3-day Democracy Hub demonstrations have been remanded into police custody after an Accra Circuit Court denied their bail application on Tuesday, September 24.
Five counts of charges were proffered against them after their arrests on Saturday, September 21. The charges are;
– Conspiracy to commit crime – unlawful assembly
– Unlawful assembly
– Destruction of property
– Offensive conduct
– Assault on public officer
Eleven (11) others whose cases were heard in another circuit court were also denied bail but were remanded into prison custody after their lawyer prayed for an adjournment to study their charges.
He was furnished with the charge sheet during the court hearing. The charges included the initial five in addition to the defacement of public property.
Their pleas were therefore not taken.
The court also issued a bench warrant for one of the protesters who was previously released on police inquiry bail but failed to appear in court, despite being aware of the proceedings, according to the prosecution.
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