The opposition New Patriotic Party has condemned the one-year prison sentence handed to a Ghanaian woman for comments she made online about President John Dramani Mahama, describing it as a dangerous attack on free speech and constitutional democracy.
In a statement issued Wednesday, July 16, 2026 and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP said the Accra Circuit Court’s decision to convict Madam Camilla Alhassan for “offensive conduct” should concern every Ghanaian who values liberty under the 1992 Constitution.
The party said the imprisonment of a citizen over expressive conduct raises profound constitutional questions. “No amount of legal formalism can conceal the fact that a Ghanaian has today been deprived of her liberty in circumstances arising from her expression,” the statement said. “This is not the hallmark of a confident democracy. It is a troubling signal of growing intolerance.”
According to the NPP, if the President believes he has been defamed, the proper remedy is a civil lawsuit and not the use of the criminal courts. The party accused the government of deploying “the coercive machinery of the State including the Police, the Attorney General and the criminal courts to punish an ordinary citizen and send a chilling message to every Ghanaian who dares to express an opinion against this intolerant NDC government.”
The NPP also condemned the manner in which Madam Alhassan was treated at court, saying she was paraded and handled as though she were a dangerous violent offender. The party said such conduct offends the dignity of the individual and the values upon which Ghana’s constitutional democracy is founded.
General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong called on civil society, the Ghana Bar Association and the media to speak with one voice against the criminalisation of expression in Ghana. He also urged the National Peace Council to recognize what he described as a serious challenge to the civic freedoms that underpin national peace, and called on Ghana’s diplomatic partners to continue supporting democratic values and constitutional freedoms.
The NPP said it will support an immediate appeal against the conviction and sentence, and will stand firmly with Madam Alhassan and her legal team. The party warned that Ghana must not return to periods in its history when fear silenced dissent.
“Free speech is not a crime. Democracy must never become an empty slogan. Ghana must never go back,” the statement concluded.
Source: Purefmonlinegh.com || 2026
