“Amnesty International Country Director reports a surge in incidents of police brutality in Ghana”

According to Amnesty International’s latest global report on the State of Human Rights (2022/23), police brutality has surged in Ghana, with incidents of attacks on journalists in the line of duty being particularly concerning. Country Director of Amnesty International in Ghana, Genevieve Partington, raised this concern on Foreign Affairs on Joy News. The report noted various incidents of police officers using excessive force, including the assault of a radio presenter by plain-clothes security officers and the firing of shots at protesters by the police, resulting in the death of a bystander and injuries sustained by protesters. In addition, the media reported that tear gas and warning shots were used by the police to disperse a student protest, causing at least 25 students to be treated for injuries. The Ghanaian government denied that live shots were fired, and an investigation resulted in the disciplining of three police officers. Joy News’s Latif Iddrisu was also assaulted in the line of duty by the police while reporting on a demonstration of the National Democratic Congress against the arrest of the former Deputy General Secretary of the party. Human rights groups are worried about the continued use of excessive force by the police, which has left victims such as Latif suffering the effects of the attacks.