Malik Basintale, the Deputy Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressed admiration for the members of the Democracy Hub following their 3-day demonstration advocating for government action against illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey). He encouraged the demonstrators to stand firm in their protest despite their subsequent arrest by the Police.
In response to the denial of bail for the detained democracy hub members, Basintale, speaking on TV3’s Big Issue on Wednesday, September 25, conveyed his support by stating, “I salute all the members of Democracy Hub, you are our heroes, don’t be shy.”
After their arrest on Saturday, September 21, twenty-eight individuals from diverse backgrounds who participated in the 3-day Democracy Hub demonstrations were remanded into police custody after an Accra Circuit Court denied their bail application on Tuesday, September 24. They face five charges, including conspiracy to commit a crime, unlawful assembly, destruction of property, offensive conduct, and assault on a public officer.
Eleven individuals, whose cases were adjudicated in a separate circuit court, were likewise denied bail. Following a request by their legal representative for an adjournment to review their charges, they were detained in prison custody. The charge sheet provided to the lawyer during the court session encompassed the initial five charges as well as the defacement of public property.
Additionally, the court issued a bench warrant for one of the demonstrators who had previously been granted police inquiry bail but failed to appear in court, despite being cognizant of the proceedings, as per the prosecution’s assertion.
