ECOWAS Court orders Ghanaian govt to pay $75K over illegal detention of Homeland Foundation members

The ECOWAS Court of Justice on Friday ordered the Ghanaian government to pay $75,000 in compensation to 30 members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) over their unlawful detention in 2019.

A three-member panel of the court headed by Justice Ricardo Goncalves, in a ruling in the suit ECW/CCJ/APP/12/24, awarded $2,500 to each applicant.

Other members of the panel are Justice Sengu Koroma and Justice Dupe Atoki.

The court held that the prolonged detention of the applicants without trial violated their fundamental rights under both Ghana’s constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Gonçalves, who read the judgement,said the applicants were held for over a year without being brought before a court, contravening Ghana’s 48-hour court presentation rule.

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The Homeland Study Group Foundation and its members were arrested under the Prohibited Organisations Decree of 1976 for advocating the independence of Western Togoland.

However, the court struck out the Foundation from the suit for failing to present evidence of legal registration.

The court also dismissed the applicants’ claims to self-determination and declared that neither the Foundation nor its members had the legal standing to make such claims.

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