Press Statement: MFWA welcomes the proposed human rights court in Ghana

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the recent announcement by Justice Georgina Wood, Ghana’s Chief Justice, for the establishment of a Human Rights Court in the country.
  
The state-owned “Daily Graphic” on July 14, 2008 reported the Chief Justice as saying that the court which will start operating in October, will serve as a division of the High Court. It is intended to deal exclusively with human rights cases.  

Justice Wood, who was addressing police prosecutors in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, said the creation of the special court was the initiative of the judiciary to promote the rule of law and to reduce the frustrations that Ghanaians go through daily when their rights are abused.  

MFWA could not agree more with the Chief Justice as the setting up of the court will increase the human rights protection and awareness in the country. 

 We are hopeful that the new court will ease the burden of the under-resourced Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) of Ghana.  

The MFWA would like to welcome the new Human Rights Court and hopes for its speedy expansion into all regions of the country. 

We would also like to urge the government of Ghana to allocate enough resources toward ensuring that the Human Rights Court will become a well established, respected and functioning department within the Ghanaian judicial system. 

Furthermore, the MFWA encourages Ghanaian citizens, and civil society to support and make full use of the proposed court to advance human rights promotion and culture in Ghana.  

Issued by the MFWA, Accra on July  17, 2008. The MFWA is a regional independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Accra. It was founded in 1997 to defend and promote the rights and freedom of the media and all forms of expression.

Media Foundation for West Africa