Montie 3 saga must not stifle free speech - Anyani Boadum

The Superintendent Bishop of the Jesus Generation Ministries, Rt Reverend Dr Nana Anyani Boadum says the aftermath of the incarceration of the Montie trio should not be allowed to stifle free speech in the country.

According to him, Ghana’s democracy is still growing, thus “this is the time for media men, academicians and intellectuals to subject the law to test and tell ourselves that it should not be dangerous for any Ghanaian and for that matter media men to speak freely.”

“I have seen that after the three were jailed some media men have become jittery in delivering but this ought not to happen in this dispensation,lest our democracy won’t grow,” he told host Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM Friday.

This notwithstanding, he said the media must be advised that there is no unfettered media space which they operate from, hence journalists must be responsible and use their world to bring about change and development in the society.

The renowned preacher’s comments come in the wake of the release of the infamous Montie 3- Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, from prison Friday, August 26, 2016 following a Presidential pardon from their conviction and four-month jail term.

They were in July incarcerated for criminal contempt of court after they threatened the lives of Supreme Court Justices on a live Montie FM radio programme.

Addressing teeming supporters at the forecourt of Montie FM in Accra on Friday, the trio admonished practitioners within the media fraternity to learn from their mistake.

“We have learnt our lesson and will like to reiterate President Mahama’s call to our fellow media practitioners and all who appear on our platforms to take a cue from what happened to us and be circumspect in our utterances,” they stated.

“We agree that we have a responsibility to our country to [have] peace in this election year and to respect institutions of state. We will continue to practise our profession and be mindful of all these,” they promised.