Instance justice not the best option - Quayson

Takoradi, Oct. 25, GNA - Mr Richard Quayson, Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has expressed concern about increasing incidents of lynching suspected criminals, saying they were clear violations of an individual's human rights and dignity.

He said if such incidents were allowed to continue, many innocent people would be killed and this could lead to ethnic or tribal tensions in the country.

Mr Quayson was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday in Takoradi, on the increasing cases of instant justice being meted out to suspected criminals in parts of Accra.

He said some of the victims could be innocent but because the mob was determined to "deal" with the suspected criminals, they would not have the opportunity to defend themselves.

Mr Quayson said society must respect the existing laws and treat suspected criminals with respect, adding that, it is always wrong to take the laws into your one's own hands.

He said Ghanaians must have confidence in the law enforcement agencies and hand over any suspected criminals to them for the necessary action.

Mr Quayson cautioned that if the increasing lynching was not checked, it could also deprive the nation of the some of its brilliant youths who could become future leaders. He therefore appealed to Ghanaians to assist and ensure that all the law enforcement agencies lived up to expectation, by providing them with information and logistics to make them more effective. 25 Oct. 06