The Minority Caucus in Parliament has made a passionate appeal to President John Dramani Mahama to stop what it describes as the increasing prosecution of citizens for their speech through the use of criminal laws.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, July 17, 2026, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin urged President Mahama to use his office to end prosecutions under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960, arguing that the laws are increasingly being used to silence critics instead of protecting public order.
Journalism roots
The Minority leader recalled President Mahama’s early career as a trainee journalist at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and his long-standing association with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
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According to Afenyo-Markin, Mahama’s experience as a journalist should make him a strong defender of free expression rather than preside over the prosecution of citizens for comments deemed offensive.
“A President who understands, from his own career, what it is to search for the right word against a deadline, to file a story that offends someone in authority, and to depend on the protection of a free press to do that work honestly, ought to be the last person in this Republic to preside over the criminal prosecution of a citizen for an insult,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
The Minority’s appeal follows the conviction of Camila Alhassan, a 43-year-old TikTok content creator with more than 70,000 followers, who has begun serving a one-year prison sentence with hard labour.
She was convicted under Section 207 after publishing videos alleging that President Mahama sacrificed 32 cows for ritual purposes ahead of the 2024 general election, along with other claims.
The case has reignited national debate over freedom of expression, criminal defamation, and the continued use of Sections 207 and 208 against social media users.
Prison not first option
The Minority insisted that its position is not a defence of misinformation or falsehood but rather a call for proportionality in the enforcement of the law.
According to the caucus, citizens who make defamatory or offensive statements can be sued through civil courts, while complaints against journalists and media organisations can be addressed through the National Media Commission (NMC).
They argued that resorting to criminal prosecution and imprisonment for speech that merely offends creates a chilling effect on free expression.
The Minority also accused the government of selectively applying Sections 207 and 208 against critics while failing to take similar action against individuals aligned with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The caucus warned that the laws affect not only journalists but also students, activists, social media influencers, and ordinary citizens who express opinions online.
According to Afenyo-Markin, equal justice demands that laws should not be used as political tools to intimidate dissenting voices.
The Minority renewed its call for the repeal of Sections 207 and 208, insisting that Ghana must protect free speech while addressing misinformation through civil and regulatory mechanisms rather than criminal sanctions.