By Eric Delanyo Alifo | Founder
In the last few months, HelpLaw Ghana has represented several indigent accused persons, getting bail for many of them, and defending others in trials. Many of these people may have ended in jail just because they are too poor to hire Counsel to represent them. There were four appeals of trial court decisions. Two are still ongoing and two ended successfully or somehow successfully. One person who had been wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years has now been discharged after serving 4 years of his prison term. The term of another who was jailed for 9 years was reduced to 7 years. Many cases are still ongoing and serious financial support is required to keep the momentum and possibly increase our impact.
HelpLaw Ghana has also challenged certain police practices and procedures in the criminal justice system at Ghana's Supreme Court. Seven Justices heard the case and admitted that the issues were very important human rights concerns, which must not be swept under the carpet. However, the Court advised that we must come with specific cases since the issues were two general.
HelpLaw is also getting increasing attention from the public. Recently, the Founder got in touch with a law Professor, Prof. Paolo Galizzi of Fordham Law School in New York and he has helped to source a little funding from the "International Law and Development in Africa Clinic" at the Leinter Center for International Law and Justice, Fordham Law School, New York to engage 3 interns for 3 months to assist the only attorney being the Founder of HelpLaw, who is doing all the work of the organization at the moment because of lack of funding.
The vision to establish a true and effective legal aid scheme all over Ghana to provide free legal and related services to the poor and less-privileged people of Ghana is still very much alive, though being increasingly difficult due to lack of funding when the number of those seeking assistance increases by the day. Support is desperately needed in order to prevent the collapse of the project.
Thank you all our donors and prospective donors. We still need your constant assistance to save the oppressed.
By Eric Delanyo Alifo | Project Leader/Attorney
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