The opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has petitioned the United Nations over the John Mahama government’s arrest of its members.
According to reports, the NPP United Nations is growing “state-sponsored” political harassment and criminalisation of free speech.
In a news card by GHOne TV read, “NPP petitions United Nations on growing “state-sponsored” political harassment, and criminalisation of free speech”.
Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has disclosed that Ghana, under the Mahama government, has recorded 14 arrests linked to false news and offensive speech in less than 16 months.
MFWA disclosed that the figure is nearly double the number documented during the Akufo-Addo administration.
Following the arrest of 14 for false news in 16 months, a debate has been triggered over whether the Mahama government is simply enforcing long-standing laws in a new digital environment or restricting public speech.
Also, Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has fired shots at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Courts, and the Police over their burdensome bail conditions and denials.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, the highhandedness and excessive practices surrounding bail, its denial, and its conditions must come to an end.
He argued that the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Speaking in a video shared on X, Haruna Iddrrisu stated, “In Ghana today, we have seen excesses, excesses from the police, excesses from the courts, and excesses from EOCO, where persons are denied bail and bail is used as punishment for accused persons.
“That is not the law. It is settled knowledge and settled law that you do not deny an accused person bail or impose excessively burdensome bail conditions,” he said.
“If you uphold the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence, then every person must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“So, I expect that in Ghana today, we must end the high-handedness and excessiveness in matters relating to bail, the denial of bail, and related conditions,” he added.
Additionally, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Interior Minister, has raised concerns over the unnecessary remand, terrible bail conditions by the police and the courts.
The Interior Minister asserted that the Police remand people anyhow, adding that the court also gives terrible bail conditions that people are not able to meet.
He disclosed that his ministry has been working with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, on the constitutional amendment.
Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak asserted that the passage of the Community Service Bill would help address the challenge, reduce overreliance on remand, and ease congestion in prisons and police cells.
Meanwhile, Shamima Muslim, the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, has said that President John Dramani Mahama does not have the time to call for the arrest of TikTokers or anyone.
The Deputy Presidential Spokesperson highlighted that President Mahama is not interested in following the bad example of the NPP by eroding the trust of Ghana’s accountability.
Speaking on StarrFM, Shamima Muslim stated, “President Mahama is not interested in following the bad example of the NPP. He is not interested in eroding the trust of our accountability institutions; he is interested in building good governance principles that restore trust in these institutions.
These institutions are not perfect institutions that we all agree on; the judiciary, the legislature, the executive, and the media are not perfect institutions. They are human institutions they can also be influenced.
The security agencies, do you think that President Mahama actually takes the telephone or sends somebody to go and tell the IGP to arrest this person and not give the person bail?
So you think President Mahama has time to send someone to go and arrest a TikToker, then you don’t know who President Mahama is”, she added.
See the post below:
NPP petitions United Nations on growing "state-sponsored" political harassment, and criminalisation of free speech…#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork #GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/RGN1PwF1mS
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) June 9, 2026
