The Ghana Police Service has refuted claims that individuals arrested during Democracy Hub’s protest were coerced or forced to re-enact the demonstration at the 37 Intersection.
Reports have surfaced suggesting that some of the detained protesters were compelled to return to the scene for a recreation of the events that occurred on Sunday, September 22.
However, the Police, in a statement, clarified that crime scene reconstructions are a standard investigative procedure worldwide, emphasizing that those involved participated willingly.
Additionally, the police dismissed allegations that unfamiliar officers, who had no prior interaction with the accused, were used for the reconstruction.
The statement highlighted that the detectives involved have been part of the investigative team from the beginning.
“As the public may recall, several attempts have been made since this incident, to feed the public with falsehood, including the arrest of a 12-year-old child and a pregnant woman, all in the bid to create disaffection towards the Police. We see this one, as one of such attempts, and we urge the public to disregard it,” the statement read.
Democracy Hub members staged a three-day protest from Saturday, September 21 to Monday, September 23, calling for an end to illegal mining.
Over 50 protesters were arrested, with 14 of them granted bail as of today, October 7, while the rest remain on remand.
Below is the full statement by the Police:
POLICE REFUTE CLAIMS OF FORCING ACCUSED PERSONS TO RE-ENACT PROTEST AT 37 INTERSECTION
1. The Ghana Police Service has taken notice of a statement allegedly issued by the lawyers of the accused persons standing trial for their conduct during the democracy hub demonstration, claiming that the Police forced their clients to re-enact the protest at the 37 Intersection.
2. We wish to state that this is untrue and the facts are as follows:
a. Crime scene reconstruction, as part of an investigation, is a standard practice used by law enforcement agencies worldwide and is in full compliance with our established procedures. The Ghana Police Service has been using this practice since time immemorial.
b. The Police detectives who conducted the crime-scene reconstruction are part of the officers who have been working on the investigation since the inception of this case. The claims that they are not known to the accused persons are, therefore, not true.
c. In accordance with standard procedures, the accused persons were informed of their right to have legal representation during the crime scene reconstruction process. Some of the accused persons opted to take part in the crime scene reconstruction process without their lawyers’ presence. Other accused persons, however, insisted on their right to their lawyers and the reconstruction process for these persons is yet to be done. It is, therefore, untrue, that the accused persons were coerced or threatened with harm, to take part in the crime-scene reconstruction.
3. As the public may recall, several attempts have been made since this incident, to feed the public with falsehood, including the arrest of a 12-year-old child and a pregnant woman, all in the bid to create disaffection towards the Police. We see this one, as one of such attempts, and we urge the public to disregard it.
Source: Adomonline
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