Ghana Sentences TikToker to One Year for False News

A court in Accra sentenced TikTok influencer Camilla Alhassan to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to offensive conduct and the publication of false news. Alhassan, who has over 70,000 followers, posted viral videos between December 2023 and January 2024 alleging that President John Mahama sacrificed 32 cows in a ritual to secure his landslide victory in the 2024 general election. She further claimed a government program providing sanitary pads to flood victims was a cover for these rituals.

The presiding judge rejected a request for a lighter sentence from defense counsel Kwadwo Gyamfi Bonsu, ruling that a custodial term was necessary to deter social media falsehoods and prevent the erosion of public confidence in institutions. The court did, however, strike out a separate charge of electronic abuse due to a lack of jurisdiction.

This sentencing follows a pattern of government efforts to regulate social media. In September 2023, another influencer, David Kwodwo Prah Afful, received a seven-month sentence for issuing death threats against the president. Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has announced plans to introduce new legislation to combat hate speech and misinformation as part of a broader state initiative to sanitise social media platforms.