Document #1331698
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Current information on the Church of Jesus
Christ of Dzorwulu could not be found among the sources currently
available to the IRBDC. Information on the current status of the
banned churches of Ghana has been requested from a Ghanaian Human
Rights organization, but a response has not arrived in time to meet
your deadline. However, any information provided to the IRBDC will
be immediately forwarded to you.
The most recent related information found
among the available sources consist of the attached reports, which
refer to a partial lifting on the "freeze" or ban on four religious
groups. According to the attached reports, the ban was lifted for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and not for the
Jehovah's Witnesses. This information was corroborated by the West
Africa desk of the Department of State in a telephone communication
with the IRBDC on 27 February 1991. Nevertheless, this source was
unaware of the current situation of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Dzorwulu. For previous information on the situation of religious
sects in Ghana after the "freeze" or "ban" was imposed, please find
attached a copy of the response to Information Request 2980 and its
pertinent attachments. In addition to this information, the
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989
(Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1990) states in page 142
that the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and two indigenous churches
had their assets "frozen" by the government and were not allowed to
apply for registration, while the foreign personnel of the two
international organizations were expelled. Also attached, please
find a 16 June 1989 report of the BBC Summary of World
Broadcasts ("Government bans activities of four religious
sects") which reports that the Church of Jesus Christ of Dzorwulu
was one of the sects disbanded by the government, and that
followers of the disbanded sects had been advised to refrain from
activities which will breach public law and order.
Further information on the subject could
not be found among the sources currently available to the
IRBDC.