Ghana Connect: Montie 3 sentencing - Freedom of speech, harsh sentence?

The four months custodial sentence of the Montie trio for scandalizing the court through the power of radio has got Ghana talking since Wednesday as the sentencing sent shock waves across the country.

For the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) this is nothing more than an assault on the freedom of the press and a criminalization of free speech.

There is also the other view that the sentence was a fair and just punishment for abusing their continually guaranteed rights to free speech.

Where do you draw the line, striking a balance between protecting the right to free speech and press while checking abuse and ensuring responsibility in the exercise of these rights?

Connecting in the studio, Friday evening were a journalist, Afia Pokua and lawyer and football presenter Sammy Bartels.

Also connecting in the studio is the son of one of Ghana’s best-known journalist, Cameron Duodo. Kordieh Duodu is a private legal practitioner with some interesting views on the topic.

Afia Pokua said she would want the discussions to go beyond the Montie trio to focus on the responsibility that comes with freedom of speech.

She said she was saddened that the one thing dividing people in this matter is politics with people who should know better behaving otherwise.

"As a people, we have lost our sense of value," she summed it up.

For his part, Mr Bartels was concerned about the proportionality or otherwise of the sentencing to the offense committed

However, Mr Doudu thinks the sentencing is disproportionate but said, "this is the most serious contempt of court I have ever seen. I have never seen an assault on the administration of justice."

He said allegations and threats at a heightened time of election are undermining everything the Constitution stands for.

Listen to the audio below: