Afenyo-Markin warns against abuse of Free Speech.

Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has cautioned against the continued defence of free speech abuses by successive governments, warning that such practices could create a never-ending cycle of misconduct.

Speaking in an interview with GTV Ghana monitored by GhanaWeb on May 26, 2026, Afenyo-Markin stressed that although freedom of speech is guaranteed under the Constitution, it has clear limitations.

He explained that constitutional rights are not absolute and noted that the law provides remedies when individuals make damaging or unlawful statements against others.

According to him, comments that incite violence or encourage harm against individuals, including the president, fall outside the protection of free speech and amount to threats.

Afenyo-Markin also criticised the tendency of governments and political actors to justify present-day abuses by referring to similar actions in the past. He described the practice as dangerous and warned that it would only prolong a cycle of retaliation and political hostility.

He further called on state institutions, particularly the judiciary, to strengthen internal review systems and supervision mechanisms to promote fairness and maintain public trust in democratic processes.

While condemning insults and abusive language in politics, the Minority Leader also expressed concern about what he described as excessive state actions used to address such conduct.

He maintained that efforts to curb political insults should not result in abuses of power or violations of rights.