The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and remand of its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, describing the process as a violation of constitutional protections and a threat to free expression.

Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei said the arrest breached Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty.

“We are looking at the constitutional provision that no person shall be deprived of his liberty except under clearly defined circumstances,” she said on Asaase Radio on Monday, 18 May, arguing that the case did not meet that threshold.

Mrs Appiagyei maintained that Mr Baffoe’s comments amounted to criticism rather than criminal conduct, cautioning against what she described as the criminalisation of dissent.

“We are not encouraging insults, but every citizen has the right to criticise a system,” she said.

She also questioned the legal basis for Mr Baffoe’s detention, alleging that as of the close of business on Friday, no formal documentation had been produced to justify the remand.

According to her, the argument that the accused could continue making public comments if granted bail was insufficient grounds for detention.

“That is persecution, not prosecution,” she stated.

The NPP has also expressed concern over what it described as attempts to indirectly reintroduce criminal libel laws, which were repealed in Ghana more than two decades ago.