Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has said a shadow criminal libel regime is being used in the name of Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, describing the sentencing of TikToker, Camila Alhassan as criminalisation of criticism.
Camila has been jailed with hard labour after she published videos falsely claiming that President Mahama sacrificed 32 cows to win the 2024 elections.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Friday, July 17, 2026 the Effutu MP said “our demand is that these two sections; Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act must go. We demand an end to the criminalisation of criticism and call on Government to finish what the Kufuor administration started in 2001.”
The Minority called on President Mahama to direct the Attorney General to discharge all persons serving jail terms under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act and withdraw all pending prosecutions under those provisions.
He also wants a law passed to repeal both sections, while asking that the police stop prosecuting people using them.
“Instruct the Attorney-General to withdraw the pending prosecution. Let this be remembered as a moment when both sides of the House chose the country over party.
“We are asking President Mahama to ensure that no prosecution forthwith is undertaken by the police,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
The Minority outlined some demands including an end to prosecutions of persons undersection 2017 and 208 of the Criminal and other Offences Act.
- We demand first, the immediate halt of all pending prosecutions under sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal and other Offences Act including the second prosecution threatened against Camila Alhassan.
- Second, the discharge of any person currently serving sentence including Kwame Nkrumah the Second who was jailed six months or so ago over a TikTok video.
- Third, the passage without delay of legislation repealing both sections.
- Fourth, a public commitment from Government that no citizen will face criminal charges for speech that is merely critical embarrassing or unwelcomed to those in power.
“Ghana chose in 2001 to be the country that led Africa away from criminal insult law,” the Minority Leader stressed.
The Effutu legislator, however, indicated that their call is not a support for reckless speech and irresponsible conduct of individuals.
“We are not saying that the repeal of this law should be a license for irresponsible speech. That is not what we are saying. we are not asking anyone to tolerate falsehood, insults or recklessness. We condemn irresponsible speech,” he remarked.
