'No one has been arrested for exercising rights to freedom of speech' — Kwakye Ofosu

The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed claims by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that its members are being arrested for exercising their right to free speech.

The NPP has scheduled a nationwide demonstration dubbed "Democracy Under Attack" for Thursday, August 6, saying the protest is against what it describes as attacks on the judiciary, selective justice and the arrest of some of its members over comments they have made.

The party argues that while its members are being arrested for their public statements, members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) who make similar remarks are not subjected to the same treatment.

Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV on Tuesday, August 4, Mr Kwakye Ofosu rejected the allegations, insisting that those arrested are facing investigations over alleged criminal conduct, including threats to the life of the President, and not for expressing their opinions.

"Nobody has been picked up for free speech," he said.

The minister argued that freedom of expression does not extend to making threats or statements capable of undermining public security, noting that such offences are prosecutable in many democratic countries.

He further accused the NPP of applying double standards, citing the prosecution of social commentator Appiah Stadium during the previous administration over comments involving then Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia's wife and former First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu also questioned suggestions that the government's image was being damaged by the arrests, maintaining that law enforcement should not be politicised.

"If you sit on TikTok and threaten the life of a president, you say you will behead the president, put him in a cocoa sack and attack his wife, you cannot go scot-free," he stated.