A Ghanaian TikToker has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of offensive conduct and publication of false news over posts she made about President John Mahama. The Ghana TikToker jailed in the case, Camilla Alhassan, had shared a series of videos making unsubstantiated claims about the president.
Last month and earlier this month, Alhassan shared videos alleging, without providing evidence, that the president sacrificed 32 cows as part of a ritual to help him win the 2024 general election. The 43-year-old also claimed that a government initiative to distribute sanitary pads to recent flood victims was an attempt to conceal what she alleged he had done.
Judge Rejects Appeal for Lighter Sentence
The judge turned down an appeal for a lighter punishment, ruling that a custodial sentence would discourage similar conduct. Prosecutors had argued that Alhassan, who has more than 70,000 followers on TikTok, made a series of false and defamatory allegations against the president.
Her widely shared videos, which led to her arrest earlier this month, prompted renewed debate in Ghana over misinformation on social media and how to balance criminal sanctions against freedom of expression. The judge said the sentence was necessary to curb the spread of falsehood, which she described as becoming increasingly prevalent on social media.
Second Influencer Jailed in Ghana This Year
This is not the first time an influencer has been jailed in Ghana. Last September, popular TikToker David Kwodwo Prah Afful, known as Kwame Nkrumah II, was sentenced to seven months in prison after being found guilty of making a death threat and engaging in offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace. He had threatened to kill Mahama and members of parliament in a viral video.
Government Pushes to “Sanitise” Social Media
Last year, President Mahama said his government was considering ways to sanitise social media, instructing authorities to track down and arrest those spreading misinformation and disinformation. “I’m sending a signal to Ghanaians that if you peddle falsehood, hate speech and make utterances to cause fear and panic, we will find you,” he said at a press conference.
A year ago, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George announced plans to introduce legislation addressing the issue. The proposed law would create a legal framework for enforcement while seeking to safeguard free speech.
A Democracy Weighing Free Speech Against Misinformation
Ghana is widely regarded as one of West Africa’s strongest democracies, with constitutional protections for freedom of expression and a vibrant media landscape. However, concerns have grown in recent years over the spread of false information on social media, prompting calls for stronger regulation, even as rights groups warn against measures that could restrict free speech.
