CODEC begs Mahama for Montie 3

A pressure group calling itself CODEC is calling on President John Dramani Mahama to temper justice with mercy in the case involving Montie three contemnors.

The group charged the President to invoke his prerogative of mercy to pardon the trio.

‘That in as much as the freedoms of speech and of the press must have limits that ensure national security and cohesion, a sentence like the one issued by the Supreme Court last week if unchecked will have the precarious effect of gagging all political activists, commentators and media practitioners within this democratic republic,’ CODEC said in a statement.

The three contemnors Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn members of NDC and Salifu Maase alias Mugabe (Presenter) were on last week Wednesday jailed four months each by the Supreme Court.

The trio were found guilty of scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the Supreme Court and bringing it into disrepute.

The duo, Nelson and Gunn allegedly threatened to “violently silence” the Supreme Court judges if they made any judgment against the Electoral Commission (EC) in the court case that challenged the validity of the voters’ register as proof of citizenship.

CODEC PLEADS FOR PARDON FOR MUNTIE TRIO

CODEC will like to join the countless thousands if not millions of Ghanaian voices calling on President John Mahama to temper Justice with mercy by invoking his prerogative of mercy per Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

CODEC a group that cuts across political, ethnic and regional boundaries has over these past few weeks examined the views of many Ghanaians and has come to this general observation.

That inasmuch as the freedoms of speech and of the press must have limits that ensure national security and cohesion, a sentence like the one issued by the Supreme Court last week if unchecked will have the precarious effect of gagging all political activists, commentators and media practitioners within this democratic republic.

This will serve as a barrier to our forward advance as a democratic country and even roll back our enviable position as one of the countries with a high rank on the World Press Freedom Index.

We are therefore pleading for mercy not to embolden others to do worse but to also protect and promote the exercise of the fundamental right to free speech within the confines of the law. Our activists, pressmen and citizens need to feel free to express themselves.

We are more than convinced that the President’s pardon at this juncture will not be an affront to law and order but serve as a reminder to all that we must learn to operate within the law and not without.

Mr President, please grant this pardon.

Signed.
Godwin Edudzi Tameklo
(Convener)
31st July, 2016.

Ali Dawud
(Director of Operations

Jude Atuahene
(Education Coordinator