Ghana sued at ECOWAS Court over US deportation deal
via GhanaWeb2 min read
Private legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor, through his law firm Merton and Everett LLP, has filed a lawsuit against the Government of Ghana at the ECOWAS Court of Justice. The suit, filed on June 29, 2026, on behalf of Democracy Hub, represents 27 of at least 60 deportees sent to Ghana since September 2025 under the US "third-country" removal policy. This policy applies to individuals US courts have ruled cannot be deported directly to their countries of origin due to risk of harm. The complaint alleges that Ghana is violating domestic and regional laws by facilitating the removal of these deportees to countries where they could face danger, despite their claims of protection in the United States. Many were reportedly deported from Ghana to the countries they had fled within hours or days, while others were left stranded. The lawsuit seeks to compel Ghana to disclose the terms of its deal with the US administration and to block Ghana from accepting any future deportees under this arrangement. The firm filed the lawsuit alongside Cornell Law School鈥檚 Transnational Disputes Clinic and the Global Strategic Litigation Council.
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