Arrests of critics in Ghana provokes alarm over free speech under Mahama

Key points

• Ghana’s 14 arrests in 16 months linked to false news have raised concerns about free speech.
• The rise has triggered a sharp debate in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies over whether authorities are simply enforcing long-standing laws in a new digital environment, or edging into a more restrictive approach to public speech.
• The controversy carries added political weight because President John Mahama, while in opposition in 2022, warned that using state power to intimidate dissent was a “dangerous blueprint” for democracy.
• Government: enforcement not repression A senior ruling party official dismissed allegations that the arrests amount to a crackdown.