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

Ghana has recorded 14 arrests linked to false news and offensive speech in less than 16 months, nearly double the number under the previous administration in eight years, according to the Media Foundation for West Africa. President John Mahama, who criticized state intimidation of dissent while in opposition in 2022, now faces accusations of authoritarian drift. A senior ruling party official dismissed the allegations, citing the case of TikToker Prince Ofori arrested over alleged threats. Minority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin condemned the arrests as 'state-sponsored persecution'.