Western-Togoland: 78 alleged separatists pressed with new charges

“As at 1:04 pm, the accused persons here have not even drunk water. This is what they have been going through at the BNI,” he said.

He insisted that the police prevented the suspects from eating food bought for them though the prosecutor and investigators present in court denied the claim.

According to Mr. Donkor, the suspects are still in the very dresses they were in when they were arrested and wondered whether they even get the opportunity to bath.

The lawyers invited the court to consider the plight of the suspects and grant them bail.

He said, “the State is not so wicked and means to subject its citizens to such treatment” and urged the court to stop it by granting the suspects bail.

In the plea of the Defence Lawyers, the Court must send a strong signal to the State that the Court did not exist to do the bidding of the State but to dispense justice and protect the rights and liberties of the people. These suspects must be reassured that the Court is there to protect their rights,” Theophilus Donkor said.

The Ruling
The Circuit Court 2 however denied bail to the 78 re-arraigned alleged separatists.

The court said it was minded by the rights of the suspects, the facts of the case, and that the case had so far, not unusually dragged.

The court also charged State Prosecutor, ASP Sylvester Asare, to personally take over the welfare conditions of the suspects.

The suspects have been remanded to reappear in court on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

Outside the courtroom were scores of sympathizers who had come to witness the case.

Relatives of the suspects, as well as curious bystanders, watched on.

Uncontrollable tears rolled down the cheeks of some people as the 78 suspects were packed back into a waiting police truck amidst heavily armed police escort.