The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has raised concerns over what he describes as a worrying trend of arrests linked to alleged free speech violations in the country.
His comments come in the wake of a petition by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the Diplomatic Corps, following the arrest of its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, who is facing charges under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act for allegedly offensive conduct and related offences.
Speaking to Citi News, Dr. Asante cautioned that the development risks setting a dangerous precedent if not carefully checked, warning that it could lead to broader restrictions on expression.
He also expressed concern over the proposed Misinformation, Disinformation, and Hate Speech legislation currently being considered, arguing that its broad scope could potentially infringe on constitutionally protected rights.
“When you start arresting people for insults, other kinds of behavior, including commentary on public policy and things like that, that is a slippery slope nobody wants to get in. This is not just a question of whether it is political actors.
“We are all going to be at risk if our voices are going to be attacked that way. This is about citizens; it happened to even media people online,” he said.
Dr. Asante further warned that vague or overly broad definitions of criminal speech could create risks for journalists, online commentators, and ordinary citizens.
He referenced ongoing legislative discussions on misinformation and disinformation, noting that CDD-Ghana has already raised strong reservations about aspects of the draft bill by the Ministry of Communication.
“We have said that there is currently some legislation that is making the rounds, I think from the Ministry of Communication, on information, misinformation, we have expressed very strong reservations against it because of the broad scope of actions that they see as criminal.
“I think it will be a big mistake to go down that tangent. So there needs to be a really public conversation. We are willing to provide the platform to have this conversation. We are very concerned,” he added.
He stressed the need for wider public engagement on the proposed law to ensure that efforts to regulate misinformation do not end up undermining freedom of expression.
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