Ghana: Information on whether an arms control law was promulgated by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) following the November 1992 presidential elections and whether a civilian violator of this law would be tried by a military tribunal
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA17425.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information on whether an arms control law was promulgated by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) following the November 1992 presidential elections and whether a civilian violator of this law would be tried by a military tribunal, 1 May 1994, GHA17425.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad305c.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the above subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB in Ottawa.
A professor at the University of Washington, a specialist in Ghanaian issues, was not aware of an arms control law being promulgated by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) since 1992. He did note, however, that in 1990, the PNDC has a law forbidding arms possession in Ghana (ibid.).
According to the same source, under current Ghanaian laws, a person charged with threatening state security could be tried either by the courts established under the 1992 constitution or the public tribunals set up by the PNDC in 1983 (ibid.). The public tribunals are made up of civilians, with or without judicial background, as well as military officers (ibid.).
For information on the current state of the judiciary in Ghana, please refer to Response to Information Request GHA15125.E of 14 September 1993 and to page 113 of Country Reports 1993. Further information on the public and military tribunals and their jurisdiction can be found in the Question and Answer Series paper Ghana: Constitutional Democracy and the Fourth Republic of November 1992.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Professor, University of Washington. 19 May 1994. Telephone interview.
Additional Sources Consulted
On-line search and oral sources.
