Let’s respect peoples rights – Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo has stressed the need for all to respect the rights of people and treat them fairly.

According to him, human rights and the concept of equality before the law have been his guiding principles over the years.

This was during the 10th anniversary celebration and awards night of the Justice For All Programme (JFAP) in Accra last Friday.

The event was put together by the Judicial Service of Ghana in collaboration with the POS Foundation and DANIDA.

He appealed to the general public to support the programme since everyone could suffer injustice, and therefore it was incumbent on all to ensure that nobody was denied speedy access to justice.

For him, Ghana cannot be a nation where some enjoy freedom and justice while others do not.

He lauded the prorgamme, which has led to the release of most remand prisoners from the country’s prisons through fair trial.

The president commended all the stakeholders, who have worked over the years to sustain the programme, including the current Minister of Railways, Joe Ghartey, who initiated the programme in 2007 when he was the Attorney General and Minister of Justice; former Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, who sustained it and the current Chief Justice Sophia A. B. Akuffo who intensified it and also introduced the first draft of Non-Custodial sentence.

Through JFAP, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghana has shown leadership on the continent, making other African countries to replicate it.

He said on November 2017, the UN Periodic Review in Geneva commended Ghana for implementing the programme, stating that “there is no greater threat to a free and democratic country than a government that fails to protect its citizens’ freedom and liberty as aggressively as it pursues justice.”

He reiterated government’s determination to protect the rights and freedoms of all Ghanaians in the spirit and letter of the country’s Constitution.

On her part, the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo said due to the programme, a permanent High Court had been established at the Kumasi Central Prison to offer speedy justice to those who have been remanded.

She called for policies to regulate and incorporate paralegals into the system.

She cautioned against unscrupulous lawyers who may want to take advantage of the JFAP for personal gains.

The Chief Justice also commended DANIDA for supporting the programme all these years.

She also appealed to the government to take over the programme, as DANIDA winds up its funding as part of the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ strategy.