The Ghana Chapter of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Geneva, Switzerland has condemned the attempt by the government to impose vaccination on Ghanaians through Ministry of Health.
The IHRC call follows recent announcement by the Minister of Health, Hon. Kweku Agyemang Manu and published in the Daily Graphic on 2nd December, 2021 that the government will inspect COVID Cards beginning January, 2022.
IHRC believes that the action by the government to carry out such an exercise is against the people’s rights and freedom and does not have any basis in the 1992 constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.
They said that vaccination should be by choice and not by force. Per the reports gathered so far from our international researchers, we think that it is advisable for the government to allow ordinary Ghanaian to decide rather than imposing it on them.
“We are aware of the efforts by the government in creating awareness on the COVID 19 since its emergence 2019 but there has been little or no education about the composition and effects of the vaccines. We have received countless reports on the vaccines where most nations and people refuse to take the jab as a result of what others are going through after vaccination. There are instances where people who have received their jabs still get the virus. There are also instances of reported cases elsewhere where expired vaccines were given to people. There are reported cases of complications and even death,” the group claimed in a press release.
It was signed by Prof. Michael Kwateng, Coordinator/Special Envoy for Ghana.
The statement noted that people are already scared about some of these reports and ‘concrete evidence up there’. They expressed the belief that it will be suicidal to force people using various schemes and machinations to accept the vaccines.
“This is against the Article 14 (1) (d) of the 1992 constitution which states that “every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of his personal liberty except the person is suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, a person of unsound mind, a person addicted to drugs or alcohol or a vagrant, for the purpose of his care or treatment or the protection of the community”.
“The action of the government is also against Article 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.
“The above Article of the constitution does not make it mandatory for the government to impose vaccination on the citizens. After all Ghana is among the least countries with cases of COVID 19 and its related viruses.
“We are calling on the government to reconsider its decision and allow Ghanaians to decide themselves. It will be more prudent for the government to channel his energy on other diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, HIV/AIDS, mental disorders, etc. and improve our healthcare systems,” the statement said.
