The Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah has paid a visit to the Montie FM convicts at the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern region.

Read more: Mahama will regret if he grants pardon to Montie trio - Kweku Baako

They threatened to kill judges who ruled that the Electoral Commission should delete the names of voters who used NHIS cards to register from Ghana’s electoral roll.

The visit is his first gesture of solidarity with the contemnors.

Some members of the public including lawyers for the three, Nana Ato Dadzie and George Loh, have described the sentence as “harsh”, and insisted that people must not be committed to prison for infractions on free expression especially in light of the repeal of the criminal libel law.

They have subsequently opened a petition book to solicit signatures to support the petition which has already been forwarded to the Office of the president for pardon.

See also: Don't meddle in Montie trio saga - Okudzeto counsels Ga chiefs

A number of people including ministers of state have since signed the petition book. They are Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education, Nana Oye Lithur, Gender Minister, Education Minister Prof Naana Opoku-Agyeman,  Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, Valerie Sawyerr and Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Benjamin Dagadu.

Some sympathisers called President John Mahama to invoke article 72 to grant them pardon.