Senior Legal Team Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region Evans Amankwah says the Akufo-Addo government has suppressed freedom of speech in the country.

He believes the government is using state security to intimidate members of the opposition and prevent them from speaking on issues of national interest.

Amankwah gave this remark after his client Razak Koampah Avoliya, the constituency youth organizer of the opposition party was remanded by the Asokwa Circuit Court, last Thursday (February 9).

Koampa, aka ‘Mosquito’, turned himself in after he was declared wanted by the police for allegedly inciting political violence captured in a viral video. The 32-year-old was detained, charged and arraigned. A push for bail by Lawyer Amankwah and his team was shot down by the court.

Shocked by the court’s verdict Lawyer Amakwah said: “I am dumbfounded that the court refused bail at this point. As a lawyer no matter how bad the decision of the court you need to respect it. People have made more serious, treacherous and threatening statements than this. Kennedy Agyapong and Sammi Awuku made similarly serious statements and what happened to them?

“Razak Koampa is in high spirits and this time I am speaking as a lawyer and a politician that the incarceration or remand of Razak will not intimidate NDC youth…Nobody can gag our freedom of speech. If putting us behind bars is what they intend doing then we want the IGP and the Interior Minister to build more cells”, the visibly emotional lawyer told reporters.

Meanwhile, the case continues today (14 February 2023).

You can also watch this episode of People & Places here: