Published on 6/8/2026
Ghana recorded 14 arrests in cases related to the broadcast of fake news and verbal violence in less than 16 months, a number nearly double what was documented during the previous eight-year term of former President Nana Akufo-Addo. This rise has sparked an intense debate in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, over whether the authorities are merely enforcing long-standing laws in a new digital environment, or are they sliding towards a more restrictive approach to public discourse.
The controversy also carries additional political weight because President John Mahama warned – when he was in opposition in 2022 – that using state power to intimidate opponents represented a “dangerous plot” for democracy.
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Government: Law enforcement, not repression
A senior official in the ruling party denied that the arrests were a campaign of repression, and told Al Jazeera English website, “The opposition deliberately funds people to insult the president, and when the law comes to them, they call for persecution to score cheap political points.” He referred to the case of TikTok activist Prince Ofori, nicknamed “Fanti Comedian,” who was arrested last August due to alleged threats to President Mahama, adding that Ofori appeared days after his arrest at a political gathering alongside opposition figures.
A warning sign for democracy
On the other hand, opposition leaders see what is happening as more disturbing. Minority Leader Alexander Avinio-Markin was one of the most prominent critics, telling Al Jazeera English that “state-sponsored persecution must stop. Arresting citizens for words that do not constitute real threats is not justice in any way, but rather intimidation.” He acknowledged that freedom of expression has limits, but saw the state as “increasingly overstepping the line,” warning that “excessive use of state power threatens to undermine Ghana’s hard-won democratic gains.”
Where is the dividing line?
The controversy centers on outdated provisions in Ghana’s Criminal Code and Electronic Communications Act, which authorities say are now being applied to a rapidly changing digital space. Government supporters believe that the rise in arrests reflects the explosion of anonymous and unregulated content on the Internet, while critics say that the problem is not the laws but the way they are used.
Al Jazeera English website quoted a legal consultant who reviewed recent cases as saying that he counted at least 16 cases in which Article 208 was allegedly misapplied within 18 months, compared to about a dozen cases in the previous eight years, considering that “the law has been misused to an extent that cannot be repaired, and that repeal is the only solution.”
For his part, veteran journalist Ben Iveson called for a clearer clarification of the line between freedom of expression and harm, saying that “the government must explain the arrests properly so that people can draw the line between freedom of the press and responsible journalism,” warning that journalists and state institutions may exceed their limits if the rules remain ambiguous.
Tega King of the International Federation for Peace in Ghana believes that fears of a shrinking civic space are not specific to Ghana, saying that “global civic space must establish more freedom of expression, not reduce it,” adding that what is needed is stronger institutions, not more arrests, through “independent courts, transparent enforcement, media self-regulation, and digital literacy.”
For his part, David Adofo from the African Chamber of Content Producers pointed out “a lack of constitutional education among many Ghanaians, as people should know the consequences of their actions before they take them, not after.” As for Nana Kofi Opoku-Agyemang from the Nogana Diaspora Center, he said that fears of “the erosion of press and political freedoms” had arrived from members of the community abroad, especially news of the arrest of bloggers, calling on the government to be careful not to present “a negative image of Ghana.”
A political paradox at the heart of the scene
Ghana remains one of West Africa’s most open democracies, but the rise in speech-related arrests has heightened scrutiny of the limits of state intervention in the digital space. The report brought to the forefront Mahama’s previous statements when he described the use of state power against opponents as a “dangerous plan,” while critics say today that his government is facing charges that he previously condemned. “President Mahama has an opportunity to leave a legacy of tolerance and freedom of expression, and I hope he seizes it,” Minority Leader Alexander Avinyo-Markin concluded.
