Diaspora Spokesperson for the political movement, the New Force, Shallie Abbiusi, has taken the state of Ghana to the ECOWAS Court of Justice, seeking $1 million in compensation for alleged human rights violations when she was arrested and detained last year.
In December, Ghana’s Immigration officials accused Ms. Abiusi of forging documents to obtain a residential permit in Ghana — a claim she and her lawyers had denied. Put before a court later that month, she was granted bail, but then officials rearrested her after dropping the charges, saying her continuous stay in the country was illegal. She was put on a plane that same day and deported to her home country.
In the legal documents submitted to the ECOWAS Court, Abiusi outlines a series of alleged human rights violations, which she contends contravenes international agreements and conventions to which Ghana is a party.
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Already, at the time news of her arrest surfaced, the political organisation she is affiliated with issued a statement claiming her home was searched by investigators without a warrant and that she had been denied a lawyer while held in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The lawsuit at the ECOWAS Court commences with a statement affirming the entitlement of every individual within Ghana’s jurisdiction to universally recognized human rights, as outlined in various documents including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
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Abbiusi’s case revolves around several fundamental issues, including the violation of her rights to liberty, security, fair hearing, administrative justice, equality before the law, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of movement.
She asserts that these rights, protected by international agreements and Ghana’s own constitution, were breached during her residency in the country.
It’s funny how they always forget to mention part of the charges were ‘my activities in relation to The New Force’ and I was held in custody so they could do their investigation about The New Force. If you still think it’s about ‘false documents’ think again. pic.twitter.com/9DlBDP0jMT
— Shalimar (Shallie) Abbiusi (@Shallie_Abbiusi) March 26, 2024
The legal documents provide a detailed account of Abbiusi’s experiences, indicating that she entered Ghana legally in 2017 and assumed the role of spokesperson for the New Force.