The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the diplomatic corps and global partners to keep a close watch on what it calls a worsening human rights and democratic governance climate in Ghana.
The request was made while submitting a petition to Her Excellency Imane Ouaadil, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Ghana and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
Handing over the document for the party, Weija-Gbawe MP and Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, urged the international community to stay alert and actively safeguard Ghana’s democratic values.
The petition stated that Ghana’s democracy has long gained from the cooperation, scrutiny and principled support of the international community. The NPP therefore appealed to diplomats, development agencies, global rights groups and democracy advocates to track events in the country closely.
Among its demands, the party called on the international community to publicly restate the need for free expression, judicial independence, due process, and political tolerance under Ghana’s constitutional order.
The petition also asked diplomats to engage the Government of Ghana (GoG) over what the NPP termed growing abuse of criminal charges against opposition figures and critics.
The party further demanded an immediate halt to what it described as politically driven arrests, prosecutions, unlawful detentions, and harassment of opposition members, journalists, and activists.
The NPP also sought support to press Ghanaian state bodies, especially the judiciary and security agencies, to act strictly within constitutional bounds and free from partisan pressure.
“This government headed by President John Dramani Mahama does not understand that the Criminal Libel Law was repealed and that he has brought back the culture of silence again,” Ahmed Shaib said.
