Miracles Aboagye Says Insults Are Not Crimes
Communications aide to former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has entered the fray over the arrest of an NDC organiser in Agona West, asserting that verbal disparagement does not constitute a criminal offence under Ghana’s democratic ethos.
Speaking in the wake of Bawumia’s office calling for the immediate release of the young man, Mr Aboagye contended that the recourse to law enforcement over alleged offensive commentary sets a perilous precedent for political expression. According to GHOneNews, Mr Aboagye stated unequivocally that “Insulting someone is not a crime” and urged authorities to desist from deploying punitive statutes to police political rhetoric. His remarks amplify the former Vice President’s earlier disavowal of any complaint against the organiser.
The intervention spotlights a longstanding jurisprudential quandary regarding the boundary between defamation, insult, and protected speech. Legal practitioners have consistently cautioned that the criminalization of caustic language chills dissent and contravenes constitutional guarantees of free expression. In Ghana’s increasingly combative pre-election atmosphere, observers argue that such arrests risk morphing into instruments of partisan intimidation rather than legitimate law enforcement.
Contextually, the episode emerges amid intensifying acrimony between the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress ahead of the 2028 polls. Mr Aboagye, a seasoned media strategist, framed the incident as symptomatic of a broader intolerance toward unpalatable opinions. He maintained that public figures, by virtue of office, must develop resilience to criticism, however caustic, and that the remedy for injurious speech lies in counter-speech, not incarceration.
The statement has already galvanized civil society commentary, with advocacy groups reiterating calls for prosecutorial discretion and restraint. The Agona West case now serves as a litmus test for how institutions balance reputational interests against fundamental liberties. Should the authorities proceed, they may face heightened scrutiny over selective application of the law; should they relent, it could signal a recalibration toward greater tolerance in political discourse.
The broader implication is clear. Ghana’s democracy will be measured not by the absence of insults, but by its capacity to absorb them without resorting to coercion.
Call or WhatsApp +233 20 2190 250 and share your story.
Source: GHOneNews
Author: Korkor Anumu
