The MP for Suame, John Darko, has accused the government of building a reputation around detentions, cautioning that the pattern could damage Ghana’s democratic image and signal a crackdown on opposing views.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, Mr. Darko said the volume of arrests made under the present administration, especially those tied to remarks and alleged offences against state officials, calls into question its dedication to free speech.
“The kind of arrests right now, look, this government has become popular for arresting people,” he said. The Suame legislator noted that multiple individuals have been picked up in under two years over what he described as media-related infractions or comments considered disrespectful to the President.
“Somebody posts something and you say it is against the President and then you arrest him. You have arrested 14 people in less than two years. This government is becoming intolerant, and we need to call them out,” Mr. Darko stated.
He called on the media and civil society to push back against what he termed an emerging culture of intolerance, stressing that defending democratic liberties must be everyone’s duty.
“The media, everybody in this country must call this government out for becoming intolerant,” he added.
Mr. Darko’s remarks come as public debate intensifies over the detention and prosecution of persons linked to the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, as well as social media users accused of making critical or offensive comments about the government and President John Dramani Mahama. Those recently arraigned include TikTok content creators. The most recent case involves TikToker Camilla Alhassan, who was found guilty and handed a one-year jail term.
