HRRG, ACAT demand justice for Annor Adjaye students mercilessly flogged by Teachers
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) and Action by Christians Against Torture (ACAT) Ghana in a joint press release have demanded justice for severely canned Annor Adjaye Senior High School Students.
This follows the 2022 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
On May 8, 2022, news broke that some teachers of the above-mentioned school flogged 19 students for being late to early morning Sunday church service.
The Western Regional Education Director, Felicia Okai, said in an interview that the teachers involved will be sanctioned.
According to her, the teachers had no right by inflicting wounds on the students with canes.
As far as the Ghana Education Service is concerned, canning as a form of punishment has been banned. Each term, reminders are being sent to various second cycle schools to avoid using canes on students as forms of punishment.
But no teacher has been punished since the Western Regional Education Director granted the interview when the unfortunate incident at Annor Adjaye Senior High School occurred.
It is in this light that the HRRG and ACAT Ghana demand that the perpetrators be severely punished.
In commemoration of this year's International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the HRRG together with ACAT Ghana have called on the authorities to be quick in arresting culprits of torture on any Ghanaian irrespective of his or her affiliation.
“We call on the Ghana government and state institutions to be swift in apprehending perpetrators of torture on any citizen or persons residing in this country irrespective of their religion, race, ethnic group, etc.”
The HRRG and ACAT Ghana maintained in the release that “like a vibrant rights organizations operating in Ghana and beyond, we remain absolute in our outright condemnation of the use torture and other inhumane treatments of persons which goes against the enjoyment and fulfillment of their fundamental human right ”.
Read the release below:
For Immediate Release June 26, 2022
To All Media Houses
HRRG, ACAT DEMAND JUSTICE FOR ANNOR ADJAYE STUDENTS MERCILESSLY FLOGGED BY TEACHERS
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) in commemoration of the this year’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture has joined forces with the Action by Christians Against Torture Ghana (ACAT) to show support and sympathy to all victims of various crimes of torture across the world, especially in Africa and Ghana for that matter.
Together in our actions as a vibrant rights organizations operating in Ghana and beyond, we remain absolute in our outright condemnation of the use torture and other inhumane treatments of persons which goes against the enjoyment and fulfillment of their fundamental human right as espoused by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which in its Article 5 unequivocally proclaimed that, 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.'
On this 35th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, of which Ghana is a signatory to, with almost the entire nations of the world, we call on the Ghana government and state institutions to be swift in apprehending perpetrators of torture on any citizen or persons residing in this country irrespective of their religion, race, ethnic group, etc.
The HRRG and ACAT Ghana urges the state to resist the temptations of repatriating persons to home nations where they're most likely to face torture of all kinds.
We are also serving a reminder to all and sundry that anyone can be the next victim of heinous torture as we use the this year’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to reflect on some instances in Ghana. The use of torture is simply wicked, a crime and must be punished according to the laws of Ghana.
State institutions like the military and police should eschew the use of torture on alleged offenders of the law, during interrogation for prosecution purposes. They should also object to persuasion of being used by powers that be, to visit torture and other acts of violence on political opponents, human rights advocates, journalists, minority groups and the marginalized in the Ghanaian society.
The victims of torture and cruel treatments, HRRG entreats, should use this day to be resolved and continue to entertain the hope of obtaining justice for violation of their rights against inhumane and degrading treatments.
Some highlights of torture and physical violence against citizens of Ghana include the alleged canning of the students of the Annor Adjaye Senior High School in the Jomoro district of the Western Region. In a bizarre case of teachers out of fury and misuse of power, serve severe bodily harm to 19 final-year students of the second cycle institution when it was reported that they were late for the Sunday morning church service. Several weeks have passed with no concrete punishments for tutors involved.
Another act of torture and degrading of the human person is the reported case of the viral video of a young male and female openly flogged at the forecourt of the Wa Naa's palace in Wa, for allegedly posting a sex video online. Some of the culprits have been arrested by law enforcement agencies.
As a group with one strong voice, we call on the GES, the Ghana Police Service including other sanctioning institutions to endeavor to conduct proper investigations into all matters particularly the Annor Adjaye saga and ensured justice delivered to victims and their families without further delay in these instances of flagrant human rights abuses.
No citizen deserves torture and degrading treatment of any form. We deem the use of torture on victims’ callous and extreme display of cowardice. All persons have the right to live in dignity and contribute meaningfully to society as we remind Ghanaian to dispassionately condemn all acts of torture and oppressive actions and make the country safe for all manner of persons.
Thank you.
Signed.
Joseph Kobla Wemakor
Executive Director (HRRG)
Tel: 0243676813
Dzifa Miriam Damalie
Program Director (ACAT Ghana)
Tel:0543670379
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