Stop breaching rights - Kofi Bentil speaks again on Camilla Alhassan case

Senior lawyer and Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has argued that TikToker Camilla Alhassan should not have been criminally prosecuted over comments she made about President John Dramani Mahama.

His comments follow the Accra Circuit Court's decision to sentence Camilla Alhassan to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to offensive conduct and the publication of false news.

Camilla was convicted after admitting to publishing videos alleging, without evidence, that President Mahama buried 32 cows as part of rituals to secure victory in the 2024 general election.

Reacting to the ruling, Kofi Bentil said the statements in question could amount to defamation but argued that the appropriate response should not be criminal prosecution.

"What the lady did was defamatory, the remedy is NOT CRIMINAL PROSECUTION! We need to use the right remedies! Stop breaching rights," he stated.

The lawyer has previously argued that citizens should not face criminal punishment for insulting or criticising political leaders, stressing the importance of protecting free speech.

Camilla's lawyer, Kwadwo Gyamfi Bonsu, said the court struck out the electronic abuse charge because it did not have jurisdiction to determine that offence.

However, the court convicted her on the charge of offensive conduct and imposed a one-year custodial sentence.

According to her lawyer, the defence had appealed for a lighter punishment, but the court held that the increasing cases of such offences required a sentence that would serve as a deterrent.