Freedom of speech under Akufo-Addo govt not guaranteed – Bulldog
Artiste Manager Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson known popularly as Bulldog has insisted that his arrest is a clear indication of an attack on Freedom of…
Artiste Manager Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson known popularly as Bulldog has insisted that his arrest is a clear indication of an attack on Freedom of Speech in the country.
Bulldog was detained early this year after a comment he made about the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Accra-based Utv.
He is reported to have said that the President while cleaning up the banking sector said he was doing that to save clients but has ended up hurting clients so if he does not pay up their locked up funds, he will run and not finish his tenure.
This did not sit well with officials of the NIB who whisked him off after a radio show on Accra-based Okay FM.
In his third epistle after his arrest, the Artiste Manager said while he was in the walls of the detention room where he was kept, he pondered over Ghana’s Constitution that gave rights to citizens to express themselves without fear.
He drew a conclusion that these rights of his were trampled upon especially when he was also not aware of the charges to be proffered against him.
However, he indicated that he used the period to reflect on his life and other happenings.
◄ Chapter Three ►DETENTION NIGHT
Slamming the steel door, choked off fresh air blowing into the cells — and was left in it’s aboriginal climate — searing.Quiet a huge cell it was, an antechamber and two extra cells — two separate toilets and a bathroom — it held a sink on the wall with flowing water.I was fortunate to have had a cell house to myself — ordinarily most holding cells are squalid and overcrowded.It was in a clean state but needed renovations — ceilings were worn out and the old soiled paint job came off in flakes.Within moments, it became muggy, I felt sticky and broke into sweat — I took a cold shower to help with acclimatization.
“God is here” — “In your hands O Lord” — are but a few of the inscriptions etched in the grimy and smudgy walls — a wall of record for earlier occupants and an inspirational screen to fresh inmates.In my view were two single size mattresses, one in each corner of the cell. Neatly piled on one of them were the holy books — Bible and Quran.
It was the first time I had held the Holy Quran in my hands, intriguing and impressive layout — I picked up the Gideons Bible and opened to a folded page to read: the 35th psalm of the Book of Psalms. In solitary confinement — the long night was characterized by reflective thinking.
I thought long and hard about freedom of speech and what the constitution of Ghana had to say: GENERAL FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMSArticle 21(1) All persons shall have the right to—(a) freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media.I pondered over my earlier arrest, denial of a phone call and subsequent internment, I concluded it won’t be for long — the law allows a period of forty-eight to seventy-two hours for detention — then an arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction.I conjectured on which charges will be proffered after interrogations. My sleep that night was in fit and starts.
Sincere gratitude to the head of counter office and his able assistant for their warm reception and admittance — their kind courtesies and quaint interaction made my brief stopover at the National Intelligence Bureau seemingly cosy.#INHISPRES
Source: MyNewsGh
