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#DumsorMustStop demo: Police withdraw injunction against Yvonne Nelson, others

The Greater Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service has withdrawn its application to prohibit the organizers of the '#DumsorMustStop' demonstration from proceeding with their planned protest.
Yvonne Nelson and supporters at 2016 Dumsor Must Stop vigil
Yvonne Nelson and supporters at 2016 Dumsor Must Stop vigil

The withdrawal followed the organizers' agreement to alter their initial protest route. The decision to withdraw the application, initially filed on May 20, came after the police urged the organizers to consider relocating the protest venue.

During the court session on Friday, May 24, 2024, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo noted that the applicants (Ghana Police Service) had written to the court to withdraw their application. Consequently, Justice Marfo struck out the application as withdrawn.

Previously, the police had requested that the organizers adjust the protest's timing, set for Saturday, May 25, 2024. After the organisers declined this request, the police filed a motion seeking a court order to stop the event entirely.

The motion, filed on May 20, 2024, sought to prohibit the protest at Revolution Square due to its proximity to Jubilee House, a designated security zone, and the planned protest's late timing.

The case, titled "Inspector General of Police vs Yvonne Nelson, Selorm Dramani Dzramado, and Henry Osei Akoto," saw the police represented in court by Chief Inspector Jonas Laweh, while the respondents were absent and without legal representation when the case was struck out.

Actress Yvonne Nelson, who organized a similar protest in 2015, has been vocal about the adverse effects of intermittent power cuts, known locally as ‘dumsor,’ on her business. She and her team had notified the Ghana Police Service of the intended protest.

However, the police opposed the proposed protest route, especially the endpoint at Revolution Square, due to security concerns related to its proximity to Jubilee House and the protest's planned end time around midnight.

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