NDC shocked at jail sentence on Montie convicts, urges members to be calm

The jail sentence on the Montie convicts, has been met with mixed reactions from various quarters.

While, some believe it was a step in the right direction, others say the Judges were too harsh on the trio, and may be seeking to stifle freedom of speech.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), in a statement, condemned the four-month jail-term  given to the host of the ‘Pampaso’ show on Accra-based Montie FM, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, and the two panelists, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, after they were found guilty of contempt.

The statement issued and signed by the party’s Chairman, Dr. Kofi Portuphy, on Wednesday July 27, 2016, said the party has learned with "utter shock, disbelief and dismay, the jailing of a journalist and two Ghanaian citizens by the Supreme Court of Ghana after contempt proceedings."

According to the statement, the judgment “sends an unfortunate impression about Ghana, its judiciary and severely dents our enviable reputation as a beacon of democracy on the African continent and beyond.” 

It further said the “judgment also may undermine our position among countries with the freest media in the world.”

In a related development, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hanna Tetteh, has also described the verdict as harsh.

On her Facebook timeline, Madam Hanna Tetteh wrote:"I find the sentence passed on the Muntie panelists very harsh. While not condoning any threats of violence against our Judges, or making comparisons with previous situations where our esteemed Judges had been attacked and had not responded in the same way, given that they had acknowledged their error and had apologized for same at the last sitting one would have wished that our respected Judges would have tempered justice with mercy. It's very sad.” 


GBC