Afenyo-Markin Begs Mahama To Pardon Jailed TikToker Camila
ACCRA — Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has appealed to President 【entity-John Dramani Mahama¦canonical_name=John Dramani Mahama】 to grant a presidential pardon to Camila Alhassan, the 43-year-old TikToker serving a one-year prison sentence for offensive conduct.
He said her conviction raised concerns about the use of criminal sanctions in dealing with speech-related offences, and urged the President to consider extending clemency to her.
WHERE HE MADE THE APPEAL
The Minority Leader made the appeal at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
“I appeal to the President to consider pardoning Camila Alhassan,” he said.
“I appeal to President Mahama to pardon Camila Alhassan, who is in jail because of her social media activity. We must not allow fear and panic to become the new language of political control,” he added.
He said Ghana must protect citizens’ constitutional right to express opinions and criticise public officials, and warned against prosecution of speech becoming normalised.
WHY CAMILA WAS JAILED
Ms Alhassan was sentenced by an Accra Circuit Court on July 16, 2026, to one year’s imprisonment with hard labour after pleading guilty to a charge of offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace.
The case followed a series of videos she posted on TikTok between June 30 and July 5, 2026, in which she made allegations against President Mahama, including a claim that he had sacrificed 32 cows to secure victory in the 2024 general election.
Reports also say the videos contained insulting and threatening remarks about the President and First Lady, Lordina Mahama.
She was initially charged under Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), for offensive conduct and publication of false news respectively. Her lawyer, Kwadwo Gyamfi-Bonsu, said the court convicted her only on the offensive conduct charge under Section 207.
THE OTHER SIDE: GOVERNMENT PUSHES BACK
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, who represented President Mahama at the ceremony, strongly condemned threats against the President and his family.
“Death threats constitute criminality, not freedom of expression,” he said, maintaining that threats to kill a sitting President and his children could not be justified under the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
“We do not defend hate speech. We do not defend incitement. We do not defend reckless publications that destroy reputations, endanger lives or undermine public peace. Freedom of expression is not a licence for irresponsibility,” he added.
THE LAWS AT THE CENTRE OF THE DEBATE
Mr Afenyo-Markin used the occasion to renew calls for the repeal of Section 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).
He argued that in a modern democracy, free expression must not be treated as a crime, and that existing civil remedies are sufficient to deal with persons who publish false or defamatory statements.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has also criticised the arrest, describing it as part of a worrying pattern of “creeping criminalisation of speech.”
Under Article 72 of the Constitution, the President may exercise the prerogative of mercy, acting in consultation with the Council of State. Howedey.com will continue to monitor whether the President responds.
Published on Howedey.com
