FACT-CHECK: Thaddeus Sory’s claim that the GBA has been silent on election violence is False

Claim: The Ghana Bar Association has repeatedly failed to comment on election-related violence

Source: Thaddeus Sory, private legal practitioner

Verdict: False

Researched by Nusrat Essah

A private legal practitioner, Thaddeus Sory, has claimed that the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has in the recent past failed to comment on topical issues of national importance, citing the specific instance of the GBA’s mute position on election-related violence in Ghana.

Speaking on JoyPrime’s PM Express show on October 20, 2025, he said: “If over a long period of time, we can tell, I mean, there is violence in election matters at Ayawaso, at Ejura and all of those places, people have lost their lives, and the bar can’t even say this is unfortunate. 

“In fact, they can’t even say that, well, we don’t know who is responsible for it, but can steps be taken to know who the perpetrators are so they can be dealt with. The bar (GBA) doesn’t say anything about it.” (watch from 36 mins: 56 secs to 37 mins: 26 secs)

This fact-check seeks to determine whether the Ghana Bar Association has indeed been silent on violent incidents during elections.

Fact-check

A review of official statements and media reports shows that the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has repeatedly issued press statements condemning election-related violence.

• Ayawaso West Wuogon By-election violence

On February 4, 2019, following the shooting incident at the La-Bawaleshie polling centre during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, the GBA issued a press statement condemning the violence and calling for investigations.

“The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has read and viewed with great worry and apprehension, the extremely disturbing media and social media reports regarding incidents of shooting and assault that occurred in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra on Thursday, 31st January 2019.

“The Bar finds it is most alarming and shameful that people should sustain gunshot wounds and others, including a member of Ghana’s legislative arm of Government, be assaulted by persons, some of whom were masked, and hereby condemns in no uncertain terms the actions of the perpetrators,” the statements read.

• Ejura violence 

In a statement dated July 8, 2021, the GBA commented on the violence at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, stating its regret over: “The death of two persons and injuries suffered by others following clashes between residents of Ejura and security personnel on 29th June 2021.”

Aside from the Ayawaso and Ejura violence expressly referred to by Sory in the interview, the GBA has over the years issued statements about political violence.

• Voter registration violence

In July 2020, after the violence during the voter registration exercise, the GBA again issued a press statement condemning violent clashes in the Awutu Senya East and Bono Ahenkro constituencies.

In a statement, the GBA “finds the incidents unfortunate and hereby condemns unreservedly the actions of the perpetrators, which have resulted in the untimely death of one person, attacks on officials of the EC, mayhem and confusion. The actions are lawless, totally unacceptable, and it is regrettable that the suspects in one instance include a Minister who is also a lawmaker.”

• The 2020 general elections violence

Following the violent incidents that happened during the 2020 general elections, the GBA released a press statement on July 8, 2021,  denouncing the acts of violence, including those carried out by security operatives in the Techiman South and Ablekuma Central Constituencies.

The statement further called on security agencies to exercise maximum professionalism and ensure that the rights of citizens are protected.

•  2024 post-election violence

In December 2024, the GBA issued another statement condemning incidents of post-election violence that occurred after the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

In the statement, the GBA appealed “for calm and restraint as the nation transitioned into a new administration.”

The findings above show that the Ghana Bar Association has on multiple occasions publicly condemned electoral and politically related violence during by-elections, voter registration exercises,  general elections, and post-elections.

Verdict

From the above, lawyer Thaddeus Sory’s claim that the Ghana Bar Association has failed to comment on election violence is false.

Featured image: Credit to KNUST Law Students Union (LSU) page on Facebook