CNSNews.com - Obama Touts Ghana's Democracy, But His State Department Reports Human Rights Abuses There

CNSNews.com - Obama Touts Ghana's Democracy, But His State Department Reports Human Rights Abuses There

(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama’s two-day visit to Ghana was preceded by glowing remarks about its democratic government and leaders who follow “the rule of law.” However, Obama did not mention--prior to his trip or during his time there--the ongoing human rights abuses in that sub-Saharan African country.

The U.S. State Department’s 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices says there is corruption in all branches of government in Ghana, its citizens are dying at the hands of police, and women and children are victims of abuse, including female genital mutilation and human trafficking.



The report says: “The government generally respected human rights, but human rights problems continued, including: deaths resulting from the excessive use of force by police; vigilante violence; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; police corruption and impunity; prolonged pretrial detention; forcible dispersal of demonstrations; corruption in all branches of government; violence against women and children; female genital mutilation (FGM); societal discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, homosexuals, and persons with HIV/AIDS; trafficking in women and children; ethnic discrimination and politically and ethnically motivated violence; and child labor, including forced child labor.”

On July 2, in an interview with AllAfrica.com, Obama was asked why he selected Ghana for his first presidential visit to an African country:

Question: “We asked visitors to our site, AllAfrica.com, what they might be interested in with respect to your policy. And as you might imagine, the responses are everywhere: conflict resolution, development issues, trade issues, et cetera. But they and we have one immediate question: How is it that you happened to pick Ghana as the first place to visit in sub-Saharan Africa?”

Obama replied: “Well, part of the reason is because Ghana has now undergone a couple of successful elections in which power was transferred peacefully, even a very close election.

“I think that the new president, President Mills, has shown himself committed to the rule of law, to the kinds of democratic commitments that ensure stability in a country. And I think that there is a direct correlation between governance and prosperity,” Obama said.

“Countries that are governed well, that are stable, where the leadership recognizes that they are accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one person, have a track record of producing results for the people. And we want to highlight that,” he added.

In a speech in Ghana on Saturday, Obama mostly praised the nation, and while he mentioned human rights across the African continent in a broad context, he did not specifically cite Ghana’s record of human rights abuses. Instead, he told the people of Ghana that "the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere."

Later in the speech, he mentioned the prosecution of a human trafficking case in Ghana, but not that human trafficking continues to be a reality in Ghana.

Near the conclusion of his speech on Saturday, Obama reiterated his call for an international system to ensure human rights, but again he did not point out any of the abuses in Ghana reported by the U.S. State Department. "Ultimately," Obama said, "its will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity."

On Friday, at a press conference in L'Aquila, Italy, following the conclusion of the G-8 summit, Obama answered a reporter’s question about how his relatives in Kenya influence his policies toward Africa. He included in his answer the reason he was visiting Ghana.

“Now keep in mind--I want to be very careful--Africa is a continent, not a country, and so you can’t extrapolate from the experience of one country,” Obama said. “And there are a lot of good things happening.

“Part of the reason that we’re traveling to Ghana is because you've got there a functioning democracy, a president who’s serious about reducing corruption, and you’ve seen significant economic growth,” Obama said.

“So I don’t want to overly generalize it, but I do want to make the broader point that a government that is stable, that is not engaging in tribal conflicts, that can give people confidence and security that their work will be rewarded, that is investing in its people and their skills and talents -- those countries can succeed, regardless of their history,” Obama said.

The human rights report, however, conflicts with Obama’s claim of Ghana being free of tribal conflicts: “As in previous years, chieftaincy (tribes ruled by chiefs) disputes resulted in deaths, injuries, and destruction of property,” the report said.

“In Bawku, in the Upper East Region, an ongoing chieftaincy dispute led to violent outbreaks in January, May, and July. The violence caused an estimated 18 deaths and the destruction of property,” the report said.

“The military and police were deployed to the region and the municipality was placed under curfew following the outbreaks. The curfew, which runs daily from 10:00 pm to 4:00 a.m., was extended at the end of the year,” the report said.

“In May, communal violence led to eight deaths and the burning of a village in Burkprugu-Yunyoo District, Northern Region. The violence followed a dispute over land. Police investigated the incident and a case is pending. Those arrested were out on bail at year's end,” the report added.

“In November 2007 a chieftaincy conflict erupted in Anloga in the Volta Region, resulting in at least five deaths, including one police officer and two persons who died in police custody,” the report stated.

“Rooted in a decade-long chieftaincy dispute, the disturbances arose from opposition to the installation of a new chief in the Anlo traditional area. Media and nongovernmental organization (NGO) sources reported that police used excessive force, intimidation, and beatings in order to control the violence and to extract information,” the report added.

“Police reportedly arrested more than 75 suspects, including children and at least one elderly woman, immediately after the conflict erupted. There have been no further developments since the court adjourned the case in May.”

The report further stated: “In November 2007 at least three persons were reportedly killed, and over 20 houses set ablaze, as a result of a chieftaincy dispute in Princes Town in the Western Region. A number of individuals were arrested and charged with rioting, fighting with offensive weapons, and causing damage.

“There was no change in the status of the case at year's end. Numerous deaths resulted during the year from vigilante-style violence against suspected criminals by angry citizens. Security forces sometimes intervened to save the lives of the intended victims,” the report added.

Requests for comment on the president’s trip to Ghana, the country’s poor record on human rights and what, if anything, the State Department is doing to bring pressure to bear on the Ghanaian government, were not answered by press time.