President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned state institutions against making disproportionate arrests over criticism and politically charged commentary, warning that such actions could create “undeserving martyrs” and weaken public confidence in state institutions.
The President’s position was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, asking the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to jointly organise a national stakeholder engagement on hate speech, abusive language and harmful content on social media and emerging digital platforms.
President Mahama said although hate speech, threats, incitement and other unlawful conduct must be dealt with, legitimate criticism, political commentary, satire and dissent should not be criminalised.
“The President is particularly concerned that disproportionate arrests over mere criticism or politically charged commentary may be counterproductive, create undeserving martyrs and undermine public confidence in state institutions,” the letter stated.
He called for a coherent national roadmap that would protect freedom of expression while ensuring that genuinely harmful digital content receives an appropriate and proportionate response.
The proposed engagement is expected to bring together the National Media Commission, Ghana Police Service, civil society organisations, traditional media organisations, religious bodies, content creators, bloggers and influencers.
Legal and human-rights experts, representatives of digital platforms and relevant regulatory and security institutions are also expected to participate.
The discussions are expected to assess Ghana’s existing legal and regulatory framework and help clarify the line between lawful criticism and unlawful speech.
The engagement will also consider practical guidelines for law-enforcement agencies, public education and digital literacy, ethical standards for online content creators, as well as accessible complaints and redress mechanisms.
