Accra: The Minority in Parliament has urged the Mahama administration to discontinue the reported second prosecution of jailed TikToker Camilla Alhassan, condemning the use of outdated laws that criminalize free speech.
According to Ghana Web, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin addressed a press conference in Parliament, urging the government to immediately cease all prosecutions under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act. He insisted that these provisions have no place in a modern democracy. His comments came in the wake of an Accra Circuit Court sentencing 43-year-old Camilla Alhassan to one year of imprisonment with hard labor for offensive conduct after she made derogatory remarks about President John Dramani Mahama in a TikTok video.
Though Alhassan has already been convicted, the Ghana Police Service has indicated that she will face a separate charge of false communication under the Electronic Communications Act. Afenyo-Markin reacted to this development by demanding the withdrawal of the second prosecution against Alhassan. "We demand the immediate withdrawal of all pending prosecutions under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, including the second prosecution threatened against Camilla Alhassan," he stated.
The Minority also called for the release of individuals currently serving prison terms under these provisions, citing the case of Kwame Nkrumah II, who was jailed about six months ago over a TikTok video. Afenyo-Markin urged Parliament to expedite legislation to repeal the two sections, noting that the Minority has already introduced a bill in the House. "We demand the passage, without delay, of legislation repealing both sections. The Mighty Minority is proposing legislation along the lines of the bill already before the House," he said.
Additionally, Afenyo-Markin appealed to President Mahama to direct law enforcement agencies to stop prosecuting Ghanaians under the contested provisions. "We are asking His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama to ensure that no prosecution is undertaken by the police forthwith," he remarked. The Minority argues that repealing these provisions would complete Ghana's democratic reforms following the abolition of the criminal libel law in 2001.