Minister for Government Communications Felix Ofosu Kwakye has rejected allegations that the government is taking steps to undermine freedom of expression in Ghana.

His comments follow growing concerns about alleged threats to democratic freedoms, including the recent arrest of a nurse, Salomey Baffoe Awiti, in Techiman.

Speaking at the launch of the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards, Mr Ofosu Kwakye said the government recognised the importance of free expression but maintained that the right to free speech did not extend to criminal conduct.

He said law enforcement agencies had, in recent times, taken action against individuals who allegedly used social media to spread hate speech and inflame conflicts in parts of the country.

“Sometimes last year, we began to notice the activities of individuals who were using hate speech to foment trouble in areas of conflict,” he said.

“These are people who took to social media to run commentary that had the potential to deepen conflicts that were raging in certain parts of the country, so law enforcement used technology available to them to clamp down on such activities.”

Mr Ofosu Kwakye argued that authorities could not ignore speech that had the potential to trigger violence or deepen existing conflicts.

He cited examples from other parts of Africa where inflammatory speech had contributed to serious conflict and genocide, stressing that law enforcement had a responsibility to intervene where speech crossed into criminal activity.

“Africa is littered with examples of how speech like that led to serious genocide and conflict. And it will be derelict on the part of law enforcement to sit and not do anything about people who abuse the space of social media to engage in these sorts of activities,” he said.

The Minister insisted that the government would continue to respect the right of citizens and journalists to express their views, while maintaining that legitimate criticism must be distinguished from criminal behaviour.

“Also, a clear distinction must be struck between free speech and criminal conduct. Under no circumstances will the government of President John Dramani Mahama curb free speech,” he stated.