Merton & Everett LLP, together with the Global Strategic Litigation Council and the Cornell Law School Transnational Disputes Clinic, has filed a case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on behalf of Democracy Hub LBG challenging Ghana's alleged role in the receipt, detention and onward removal of West African nationals transferred from the United States.

According to a press statement issued on June 29, 2026, the application is brought on behalf of 27 individuals, many of whom had previously been granted protection by United States immigration courts against deportation to their countries of origin because of the risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm.

The application challenges what it describes as Ghana's participation in an undisclosed arrangement with the United States under which West African nationals were transferred to Ghana before being removed to other destinations.

The applicants are asking the ECOWAS Court to declare that Ghana's actions violate its obligations under regional and international human rights law, order the arrangement to cease, prohibit further transfers and onward removals under the agreement, require disclosure of its terms, and award reparations to the affected individuals together with guarantees of non-repetition.

The application also seeks a declaration that no ECOWAS member state should participate in arrangements that expose individuals, without their consent, to risks including refoulement, collective expulsion, arbitrary detention, denial of legal representation, denial of an effective remedy or other serious human rights violations.

According to the filing, Ghana received individuals in need of international protection, detained them without lawful basis, judicial oversight or access to legal counsel, denied them the opportunity to seek protection in Ghana, and exposed them to onward removal to countries where they allegedly faced a real risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm.

Merton & Everett LLP said it remains committed to promoting constitutional accountability, refugee protection, human rights and the rule of law in Ghana and across the ECOWAS region.