A Ghanaian TikToker has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of offensive conduct and publication of false news on posts she made about President John Mahama.
Earlier this year, Camilla Alhassan posted a series of videos alleging—without evidence—that President Mahama sacrificed 32 cows in a ritual intended to secure his victory in the 2024 general election.
Alhassan also claimed that the government’s initiative to provide sanitary pads to recent flood victims was a cover‑up for the alleged ritual.
The judge rejected an appeal for a lighter sentence, ruling that imprisonment is a necessary deterrent against such conduct.
Prosecutors emphasized that Alhassan, with more than 70,000 TikTok followers, made a number of false and defamatory statements against the president.
Her widely shared videos, which prompted her arrest, sparked renewed debate in Ghana about misinformation on social media and the balance between criminal sanctions and freedom of expression.
The judge noted that the sentence is needed to curb the proliferation of falsehoods that are increasingly common online.
This is not the first instance of an influencer being jailed in Ghana. In September, popular TikToker David Kwodwo Prah Afful, known as Kwame Nkrumah II, received a seven‑month sentence after a court found him guilty of issuing a death threat and producing offensive content that threatened public peace.
Afful had threatened to kill President Mahama and members of parliament in a viral video.
Last year, the president announced that his administration was exploring ways to “sanitize” social media, instructing authorities to identify and arrest those spreading misinformation and disinformation.
He said at a press conference, “I am sending a signal to Ghanaians that if you spread falsehoods, hate speech, or incite fear and panic, we will find you.”
One year earlier, Communications Minister Samuel Narte verleden George had outlined plans to introduce legislation aimed at combating the issueAutoresizing
The proposed law would establish a legal framework for enforcement while seeking to safeguard free speech.
Ghana is widely regarded，第之最 West Africa’s strongest democracies, with constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression and a vibrant media landscape.
Nonetheless, concerns have risen over the spread of false information on social platforms, prompting calls for stronger regulation while rights groups warn against measures that could constrain free speech.
