Hundreds of women yesterday marched to the Supreme Court in Accra to demand the immediate release of Madam Sarlomey Awaty Bafou, whose continued detention, they said, was creating fear and discouraging women from participating in public affairs.
The protesters, drawn from different age groups, gathered in front of the court premises, chanting and holding placards calling on the security agencies to release the detained woman.
Clad mainly in red and black, the women carried placards with inscriptions including “President John Dramani Mahama, free Sarlomey and let women breathe” and “We know you have a crocodile skin, so free the poor nurse now.”
The demonstration, organised under the auspices of the Ghana Women’s Movement, a pro-NPP pressure group, attracted the former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hawa Koomson, Akosua Menu and other party supporters.
The demonstrators later submitted a three-page petition to the government, calling for equal protection and treatment of women under the law, particularly in cases involving political expression and social media.
Presenting the petition to the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the spokesperson, Ms Akosua Asaa Manu, called for greater transparency in arrests, humane treatment of suspects, reasonable bail conditions and respect for the presumption of innocence.
She said women should be able to express their political views and participate in national discourse without intimidation.
Ms Manu said the increasing number of arrests, remands and prosecutions involving women over speech-related matters was creating fear and discouraging women from participating fully in public affairs. Read More
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