Fresh controversy has erupted over Ghana’s handling of a sensitive deportation case after it emerged that the government ignored a United Nations Huma
Fresh controversy has erupted over Ghana’s handling of a sensitive deportation case after it emerged that the government ignored a United Nations Human Rights Office appeal to halt the removal of 11 West African migrants handed over by the United States.
The UN Committee Against Torture had formally requested, through a letter dated 22 September, that Ghana refrain from deporting the group until it reviewed complaints lodged on their behalf.
The request was made under article 22 of the UN Convention Against Torture and rule 114 of the Committee’s procedures, which allow interim measures to prevent irreparable harm to vulnerable persons.
Despite this, the migrants – comprising four Nigerians, three Togolese, two Malians, one Gambian, and one Liberian – were flown to their home countries over the weekend.
Their lawyer, activist and legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor, disclosed the move during a virtual court hearing, lamenting that the very harm the petition sought to prevent had now occurred.
“We have to inform the court that the persons whose human rights we are seeking to enforce were all deported,” Barker-Vormawor said. “This is precisely the injury we were trying to prevent.”
US Role And Legal Battles
The case traces back to earlier this month when 14 West Africans were deported by the United States to Ghana, which had been designated as a “third-country” hub.
President Donald Trump’s controversial deportation strategy. While officials initially suggested that all deportees had been sent home, 11 of them were in fact detained at a military facility in Accra.
Their legal team filed suits, arguing that the migrants had been granted protections by U.S. immigration judges after being deemed at risk of persecution, torture, or even death if returned to their countries of origin.
The case also caught attention in Washington. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. Federal District Court criticized what she described as a “deliberate scheme” by the Donald Trump administration to disregard migrants’ legal protections.
However, she admitted that once the individuals were transferred outside American jurisdiction, she could not prevent further deportations.
Ghana’s Defiance And Diplomatic Trade-offs
Observers believe the decision to press ahead with the deportations reflects wider diplomatic pressures.
The United States only recently lifted visa restrictions on Ghana after months of tension over deportation cooperation.
The restrictions, imposed after Accra was accused of dragging its feet in accepting deportees, had prevented Ghanaians from accessing long-term multiple-entry visas.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, hailed the lifting of restrictions as “good news” for Ghanaians, noting it followed “months of high-level diplomatic negotiations.”
He confirmed that five-year multiple-entry visas for Ghanaian citizens had now been restored.
President John Mahama has also admitted that Ghana’s cooperation with the U.S. on deportations came at a time when bilateral relations were strained over tariffs and visa sanctions.
He, however, insisted that Accra’s actions were guided by “humanitarian considerations” rather than a wholesale endorsement of Washington’s immigration agenda.
UN Review And Human Rights Questions
The UN Committee Against Torture is still expected to review the migrants’ case, despite their forced return.
The Committee will determine whether Ghana’s decision to proceed in the face of interim measures violated its international human rights obligations under the Convention Against Torture, to which the country is a signatory.
Human rights advocates argue that by ignoring the UN appeal, Ghana may have set a troubling precedent. Barker-Vormawor accused the government of rushing the deportations to “circumvent ongoing litigation,” warning that some of the deportees have already gone into hiding in fear for their lives in their home countries.
So far, Ghanaian authorities have not issued a public statement on the matter.
But the development is expected to spark debate both domestically and internationally about the balance between state diplomacy, international treaties, and the fundamental human rights of migrants caught in global deportation schemes.
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