Court awards GH¢150,000 to victims of 2020 Techiman election violence

Wenchi, Ghana - The Wenchi High Court has ruled in favor of six individuals who suffered injuries during the 2020 parliamentary election violence in Techiman South, ordering the government to pay a total compensation of GH¢150,000.

Justice Frederick Nawurah, presiding over the case, held that the compensation was for the 'violation of the victims' right to life and the infliction of psychological trauma from being shot at by state security forces.'

The court also directed the state and investigative bodies to probe the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Additionally, the court awarded a cost of GH¢20,000 each in favor of the six victims: Sulemana Elliasu, Abubakari Iddrisu, Alhassan Nasiru, Aremeaw Alhassan, Alhassan Abdul-Rahman, and Paul Asue.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Nawurah emphasized that the violence on December 8, 2020, resulting in gunshot wounds to the six individuals, was a violation of their fundamental human rights.

“I grant a declaration that the injuries respectively inflicted on Sulemana Elliasu, Abubakari Iddrisu, Alhassan Nasiru, Aremeaw Alhassan, Alhassan Abdul-Rahman and Paul Asue by gunshots at the Techiman South Constituency Collation Center, carried out by the security forces/personnel deployed by the State of Ghana to the Techiman South Collation Center, on the 8th day of December 2020, violated their respective rights to life under Article 13(1) of the 1992 Constitution, and their respective rights on the State to respect and uphold their respective rights to life and human dignity, under article 12(1) of the 1992 Constitution,” the court held.

According to the court, on December 8, 2020, during the counting of votes for the 2020 Parliamentary election in Techiman South, a crowd grew restless, voicing their discontent through chants and protests, which eventually escalated into violent behavior.

“At a certain point in time the armed security men started firing their weapons ostensibly to control the crowd, but this resulted in a number of people suffering serious gunshot wounds and one person dying as a result of injuries from gunshot,” the court document stated.

Source : Lead News Online