Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine Reacts To Minority Petition To Diplomatic Corps

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]I think that a minority, is exaggerating a lot with respect to the the question of ganging of free speech. All right? There are limits. If you look at the constitution, chapter five of the constitution deals with the fundamental human rights and freedoms.

[00:00:18]Look at article 21.

[00:00:20]Which guarantees the fundamental, I mean the right to free speech, to the right to demonstrate, okay, and then the general freedoms of Ghanaians.

[00:00:29]But there are limits.

[00:00:31]All right? You can you can limit free speech if for instance, it is something that I mean one that can undermine public order.

[00:00:41]All right? Our public morals, okay? And for instance, law enforcement for law enforcement reasons. So, if someone for instance is inciting hatred in our society.

[00:00:54]Okay?

[00:00:55]We do not expect that the minority will say that we should sit down idle as a government and allow that person to I mean to go on. Because those are some of the things that led to wars in countries such as Rwanda. We have not gotten there, okay? But it was it was the use of the radio.

[00:01:16]Okay? It is use of the media.

[00:01:18]I mean that incited the I mean genocide that I mean eventually took place in Rwanda. So, there are limits to free speech. And I will say that the president of the republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, is one of the staunchest supporters of free speech because he himself, you know, is I mean a communicator by I mean he's a communication specialist.

[00:01:47]I don't want to say he was a journalist, all right? But he was into I mean communication. And so he understands the I mean the importance of free speech in a democratic society. As Attorney General, I do understand the importance of free speech in a democratic society.

[00:02:05]And I would be the last person, okay, to want to end run the, you know, the, rights of our, I mean, our citizens to freely express themselves. But I should also not be the person who will sit idle when, you know, um, I mean, the matters are being taken into the, I mean, people are, citizens are taking matters into their, into their hands when it comes to, I mean, free expression. So, I don't want to comment specifically on what, um, you know, is a, the subject matter, uh, because it is pending in court, okay? But I believe that uh, this government would uphold the freedom of every Ghanaian, you know, to freely express themselves.