FixTheCounty Convenor Arrested & Charged For Saying Police Barracks Is “Dirty”
A convenor of the FixTheCountry group has been arrested and charged by the police for allegedly making “provocative” statements about the Tamale Central Police Barracks in the Northern region.
The 32-year-old unemployed by name Nana Osei Mensah has been charged with Conduct Conducive to the Breach of the Peace.
According to the police charge sheet, the accused was found loitering around the residence of the police officers at the Tamale Central Police Barracks on Monday, December 19 around 8 am.
He was found taking video recordings of the venue with his Techno Mobile phone and running commentary that depicted the place as “dirty”, according to the Charge sheet.
“Look at the dirty environment police officers are leaving in. He posited that if a Police officer leaves in this environment how will he get sound mind to do effective police work for the ordinary Ghanaian? He also said they are waiting to see whether any Police officer will come with a weapon to stop the FixTheCountry demonstration come 07/01/2023 ”, the Charge sheet said.
It added that ”the content [of the video] was found offensive to the Police as an institution and the Officers living in the Tamale Central Police Barracks.”
Nana Osei was therefore arrested immediately and later charged.
The FixTheCountry group sees the charges against Nana Mensah as “frivolous” and indicated in a press release that he only exercised free speech.
“We deplore the abuse of police powers to punish people for speech the police feel offended by. The institutionalised practice of arresting and assaulting citizens by the Police service flies in the face of the protected democratic rights of citizens.”
It, therefore, implored the police to drop the charges.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
