The National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and detention of two TikTokers, Fante Comedy and AY, as well as social media activist Sir-Obama Pokuase, describing the move as an attack on free speech.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 13, the group said the three were arrested over comments made in a viral video, which police deemed unsuitable.
It argued that the comments, while unsavoury, were opinions the individuals were entitled to under Ghana’s constitutional guarantee of free speech.
The NPP Youth Wing expressed shock that the Ghana Police Service would, in its words, “waste resources” to arrest young citizens who had no capacity or intent to cause harm, while failing to take action against what it called “worse reckless comments” from members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the past.
It accused the police of adopting a partisan approach and acting as a tool for the executive, questioning why there was intolerance toward NPP supporters.
The group pointed to an alleged violent attack on MP for Awutu Senya East, Hawa Koomson, and other NPP members during the Ablekuma North Constituency rerun, claiming that the perpetrators, whom they described as NDC members, were still free.
Calling the arrests “shamelessly biased” and “undemocratic,” the NPP Youth Wing demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Fante Comedy, AY, and Sir-Obama Pokuase.
By: Jacob Aggrey
