AI calls on President Mills to commit to human rights

Amnesty International (AI), the global human rights pressure group has called on newsly installed President John Atta Mills to commit to human rights.

In a statement published on the organization’s website Thursday  January 8, 2009, a day after President Mills was inaugurated into office after a nail-biting election in December,  AI acknowledged that even though “Ghana has seen considerable improvements in the human rights situation since 1992, there remains a number of human rights problems which require immediate action, such as violence against women, the death penalty and unfair trials.”

According to AI the inauguration of the new government provides a good opportunity to show that Ghana is truly and fully committed to the protection of internationally recognized human rights.

In the statement AI indicated what it calls the “Seven point human rights agenda for the new government” and asked the new President to make human rights central to his political programme and to commit to implement a clear agenda for human rights.

The following are the seven points :

1.    Full compliance with Ghana’s international and regional human rights obligations and     commitments, as explicitly set out in the treaties it has ratified.

2.    The abolition of the death penalty

3.    An end to illegal detentions, and prompt and fair trials in accordance with international human rights treaties and standards.

4.    Significant reductions in the overcrowding in prisons and other places of detention.

5.    Eradicating violence against women.

6.    Immediately stop and prevent forced evictions.

7.    Effective protection against so called mob violence.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi