Former Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, has criticised the detention of Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe Abronye, describing it as an affront to free speech and democratic tolerance.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Dr. Okoe-Boye said that although he does not approve of Abronye’s communication style, democratic societies must accommodate differing opinions and expressions.

“Within our own people, I said I would not approve of Abronye’s communication style. But studying sociology, I know that not everyone is the same in society. We are practicing a democracy, so we should be careful,” he stated.

According to him, there is a thin line between criticising a judge’s ruling and attacking the judge personally, and the issue should therefore be handled cautiously.

Dr. Okoe-Boye also raised concerns about the involvement of the Judicial Secretary in the complaint against Abronye DC.

“The complaint came from the Judicial Secretary for Abronye. The Judicial Secretary controls the whole administrative part of the judiciary, so if he files a complaint and it is placed before a judge, indirectly you are dealing with a matter that concerns the Judicial Secretariat and, for that matter, the Chief Justice,” he said.

He argued that the matter could have been pursued through a defamation suit rather than criminal detention.

“The judge can go and file defamation against Abronye, so why are we dancing around the ball? It’s like we are using government law,” he stated.

Dr. Okoe-Boye further warned that such developments could damage Ghana’s democratic image internationally.

“The NDC should take notice. These reports do not put the country in any good light. A country where you make a statement about a judge—it’s not like he tried to knife the judge—then you are in prison for two weeks,” he remarked.

“Any country that sees this will put you in the red because the atmosphere is rigid and people don’t have the freedom to speak,” he added.

He also questioned what he described as double standards in the country’s approach to issues of free speech and accountability.

“Why are we being hypocrites? Why can’t we stand as people with integrity?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Abronye DC was earlier remanded into police custody for two weeks over ongoing investigations into alleged misinformation and offensive public comments.