Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has castigated Ghana Police over the arrest of some journalists in the country.
On Thursday, February 10, 2022, broadcaster Kwabena Bobie Ansah was arrested for accusing the First and Second Ladies, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Samira Bawumia of stealing some State lands.
He further posted on social media saying ”this current judicial system is corrupt and made up of crooks and criminals, led by a corrupt Chief Justice who’s struggling to purge himself from a $5 thievery allegations. Facts are sacred”.
He is being held on a charge of offensive conduct.
Also, the leader of the pressure group #FixTheCountry, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who recently led a protest against President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government was on Friday arrested after making comments on social media about plotting a coup.
“If this E-Levy passes… I will do the coup myself. Useless Army!”, he posted on Facebook.
The Police, in response, said; “The post contained a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
Mr. Barker-Vormawor is charged with treason felony.
To Kwesi Pratt, these arrests are a threat to national democracy.
Although he condemns the behaviour of journalists, he however doesn’t believe in using the Police to somehow terrorize them.
He asserted that the arrests of Bobie Ansah and the rest are unacceptable, asking ”is that the best way? If we want to build democracy, is that the best way?”
Speaking further Tuesday morning, Kwesi Pratt stressed there’s nothing criminal about the conduct of these journalists to warrant a Police arrest.
”In the first instance, should the Police be involved in this matter? Because I’ve learned two remedies, civil remedy and criminal remedy [criminal proceedings]. We say there shouldn’t be any criminal proceedings, so what is the role of the Police? What is the role of the Police? If we agree that, this matter, there should be recourse to civil remedy, then what is the role of the Police in the first instance?”, he questioned.
Borrowing a popular quote by lawyer Ace Ankomah who Mr. Pratt quoted as saying ”insulting the President is not a crime”, the Managing Editor further asked; what role has the Police in this matter?”
”Absolutely, no role!”, he exclaimed as he delivered his submissions on Peace FM’s ‘‘Kokrokoo”.