A legal team has launched a lawsuit against Ghana at the primary human rights court in West Africa, challenging the nation’s role in American third-country deportation policies. The complaint was filed by the Ghanaian law firm Merton & Everett LLP, the Cornell Law School Transnational Disputes Clinic, and the Global Strategic Litigation Council. This action targets the practice where the United States sends individuals to Ghana when direct deportation to their home countries is blocked due to fears of torture or persecution.
Reports suggest that after receiving these deportees, Ghana has either returned them to their home countries or left them in neighboring Togo without proper documentation. Lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor emphasized that individuals should not be returned to environments where their safety and dignity are threatened. The lawsuit, submitted to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, argues that Ghana’s cooperation violates domestic and regional legal standards.
According to the legal coalition, at least 60 individuals have been deported through this arrangement since September, with 27 plaintiffs represented in the current case. These deportees had previously secured asylum or other legal protections in the United States, yet Washington maintains that current law does not explicitly forbid sending such individuals to third-party nations. As of now, none of the 27 plaintiffs are currently in Ghana; many are reported to be in hiding or living in precarious conditions elsewhere.