Political analyst Dr George Jebuntie Zaato has expressed concern over the recent increasing spate of arrests of citizens by state investigative institutions under the new Mahama administration.

Since the assumption of the second Mahama administration, EOCO and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) have been in the news over the detention of several members of the erstwhile government and for demanding bail conditions, which have been roundly condemned.

The latest was the surprise detention of Lawyer Martin Kpebu last week by the OSP, and a demand for landed property as a condition for his bail.

Speaking on the issue on TV3's Big Issues yesterday, Dr Zaato condemned the arrest of Martin Kpebu and expressed worry over the abuse of the rights of citizens under a government which is claiming to be more democratic than the previous government, which he said did not abuse the rights of citizens for speaking their mind.

"Martin Kpebu said worse things about Akufo-Addo and Bawumia but he was never arrested. Nobody touched him," Dr. Zaato said.

"Then all of a sudden under a so-called liberalised regime, under the so-called new freedom — we are told that the Akufo-Addo regime was repressive and we are told that we are in a second independence — and under the new liberalised regime, Martin Kpebu cannot express his mind without the state arresting him."

Martin Kpebu detained by OSP

Dr Zaato said Kissi Agyebeng, like those in charge of EOCO who have also been abusing the rights of citizens, were state officers acting in the name of the state under the present regime.

"Kissi Agyebeng was not acting in his personal capacity. He was acting as an agent of the state."

"What the OSP is doing is not different from what EOCO has done. They have all done that. How do you take somebody in and then you say landed property? Where is Martin Kpebu going? I'm not a lawyer but I'm just asking, where is Martin Kpebu going?"

Dr Zaato added that if without the new cyber security law, which the Mahama government has proposed, the likes of Martin Kpebu and Paul Adom-Otchere could be arrested and their rights abused, he wondered what would be the fate of citizens and their rights to free speech if the cyber security law, which has been condemned as seeking to restrict free speech, is passed.

"My point is that both Martin and Paul are victims of a state that is increasingly criminalising speech. And all this is happening before the new cyber law or whatever is yet to come. Imagine for a minute if that law passes."

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