Minority Condemns Arrest Over “Dumsor Is Back” Post, Demands Police Review

The Minority in Parliament has strongly condemned the arrest of a political organizer over a Facebook post captioned “Dumsor Is Back,” describing the action as an abuse of state power and a threat to freedom of expression.

Speaking on behalf of the Minority Leader during a parliamentary address, Patricia Appiagyei criticized the involvement of heavily armed security personnel in the arrest, which followed a social media post featuring the President alongside the caption.

According to her, the deployment of CID and BNI officers to detain a citizen over a political opinion raises serious concerns about the misuse of state security agencies.

The Asokwa MP argued that the arrest violates Article 21 of the Ghanaian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. She also referenced legal arguments made in the case, stating that the phrase “Dumsor Is Back” reflected the reality of persistent power outages rather than spreading false information.

Hon. Appiagyei further warned that such actions undermine Ghana’s democratic principles and contribute to what she described as an “endless assault” on the rights and freedoms of citizens.

“Any government that deploys security forces against citizens for expressing political opinions has lost its democratic bearing. Today it is the NPP; tomorrow it could be anyone who dares to disagree,” she stated.

She subsequently called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director-General of the CID to review all similar cases and release individuals being detained without sufficient legal grounds.

The Minority also urged the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to intervene and ensure that state security institutions operate in the interest of the Ghanaian people rather than for political purposes.

Report by pKB