NDC lawyer Victor Adawudu says speech-related prosecutions rarely go anywhere

Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, a member of the NDC's legal team, stated on JoyNews' PM Express on Tuesday that prosecutions under the Criminal Code provisions often used in speech-related cases rarely result in meaningful outcomes. He argued that many simply "fizzle out" after suspects are granted bail, adding, "For what I can see from my practice is that most of the charges that they use this section 207, 208 at the end of the bill, when bail is granted, it fizzles out."

His comments follow public debate over the prosecution of social media users after TikToker Camilla Alhassan was sentenced to one year's imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court. Alhassan, 43, pleaded guilty to offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace after making offensive and derogatory statements about President John Mahama in a TikTok video. The New Patriotic Party criticized the sentence as an attack on free speech and pledged to support Alhassan's appeal, calling on civil society organisations, the Ghana Bar Association, the National Peace Council, the media, and the diplomatic community to oppose the criminalization of free speech. Mr. Adawudu said repealing relevant provisions of the Criminal Code should reflect the will of Ghanaians.