Threatening to kill the President and his children is criminality, not free speech – Kwakye Ofosu

Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has described threats to kill President John Dramani Mahama and his children as “brazen criminality”, insisting that such conduct must not be defended in the name of free expression. Speaking on behalf of the President at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra, he urged political leaders not to support threats and incitement to violence for partisan advantage. “For instance, threatening to kill a president and his children is not free speech. It is brazen criminality. We, as political leaders, must not lend support to this level of criminality only because it enures to the benefits of our political fortunes,” he said. Mr Kwakye Ofosu said political leaders must demonstrate consistency in their defence of free speech, particularly when journalists face threats for publishing critical or uncomfortable reports.