Ghana: Actions against Jehovah's Witnesses since August 1989, and loss of job or other mistreatment of Jehovah's Witnesses working for the government

Mr. Don Adams, spokesperson of the Jehovah's Witnesses World Headquarters in Brooklyn (New York, U.S.), stated during a telephone conversation with the IRBDC on 29 March 1990 that although a "freeze" is still in effect on the Jehovah's Witnesses church in Ghana, religious practice continues, mainly in private settings other than the Kingdom Halls. He states that Jehovah's Witness members (also called publishers) are forbidden to meet freely in their places of worship, use their branch offices or their printing facilities, and that their foreign missionaries were asked to leave the country in the middle of June 1989.

 Mr. Adams and a published source state that government actions, namely the directive to close down all their meeting places, in effect constitute a ban. ["Ghana: Crackdown on Religious Sects", West Africa, (London: West Africa Publishing Company Ltd., 26 June-2 July 1989.] The government has withdrawn the licenses of a number of newspapers and magazines published by the Jehovah's Witnesses. [ibid.] Mr. Adams also concedes that discrimination against Jehovah's Witnesses sometimes causes school problems for students whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses. Mr. Don Adams also stated that as there is no national level Jehovah's Witnesses organization in Ghana, and that the reports he receives come from local congregations throughout the country, including Kumasi and Accra. According to the information currently available to him, there are no real problems facing Practitioners, in the sense that no brutal forms of harassment have been reported. The freeze put on them is still in effect, barring them from practising in public, publishing tracts, preaching and conducting bible studies. He states that he has never received any reports of Practitioners losing their jobs because of the religious affiliation. However, Mr. Adams also stated that according to the information available to him, Jehovah's Witnesses in Ghana have not been subject to physical abuse or violence and have not lost their jobs because of their religion.

 In August 1989, the government of Ghana reportedly published the new Religious Bodies (Registration) Law, with retroactive effect from 1 June 1989. According to the available report, ["Ghana: Law on Religious Bodies", West Africa, (London: West Africa Publishing Company Ltd., 21-27 August 1989), p.1394.] the law establishes a regulatory and control framework for religious organizations. The PNDC is also reported to have made several appointments to the Religious Affairs Committee of the National Commission for Culture in October 1989, the Religious Affairs Committee being the key organ in the official registration and recognition of religious bodies. ["Ghana: Religious Affairs Committee", West Africa, (London: West Africa Publishing Company Ltd., 9-15 October 1989), p.1700.] Up to the date of publishing of the above-quoted report, 10 applications have been rejected by the Religious Affairs Committee. [ibid. ] According to Don Adams, this includes the application presented by Jehovah's Witnesses. According to Mr. Adams, the authorities rejected the application because as a "frozen" organization, it was ineligible to apply.