Attacks against journalists terrorism — GJA
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has described attacks against journalists and media practitioners as terrorism and, therefore, called on the Ministry for the Interior and other relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute the culprits.
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The President of the association, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, said at a press conference in Accra that the call was necessitated by the significant increase in attacks on journalists and media practitioners in the discharge of their duties mostly by security personnel.
“As you may all be aware, the attacks on journalists have become so rampant that the GJA cannot be silent on them as our colleagues continue to suffer such inhumane treatment,” he said.
He lamented that the deteriorating press freedom and the violations that had been recorded over the past year made them pessimistic regarding the country’s performance in the next ranking of global media freedom.
Attacks
The most recent, he noted, was an attack on the Upper West Regional Correspondent of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Sualah Abdul-Wahab, who allegedly received a death threat from an Immigration officer when he was travelling from Wa to Bolgatanga on a commercial bus to attend a workshop on climate change.
Another case, the GJA President said, was an alleged attack on the Ashanti Regional Correspondent of GBC, Nicholas Osei-Owusu, by some military personnel for taking a video of the said officers who fired warning shots to disperse a mob on the premises of the Obuasi Central Police Station.
“A few weeks ago in Ashaiman, Angel FM’s Tema Regional Correspondent, Augustine Ahiabor, was assaulted and his phone smashed by residents of Ashaiman Lebanon Zone 2 just for taking a picture of a toilet facility in a compound that had collapsed on people,” he added.
Mr Dwumfour said the association had already petitioned the security agencies, including the Comptroller General of Ghana Immigration Service, Takyi Assuah, and the military hierarchy for swift sanctions to be imposed on the officers involved.
Resourcing NMC
He also called on the government to adequately resource the National Media Commission (NMC) to effectively carry out its mandate of monitoring and proactively regulating media content.
He believed that would empower people to bring issues of professional misconduct and ethical breaches to the Commission for redress and not take the law into their own hands.
The GJA equally urged all journalists and media houses to uphold Article 8 of the GJA Code of Conduct and Ethics to guarantee the highest level of integrity and professionalism.
He said the association would not hesitate to call out any journalist or media organisation that indulged in flagrant violation of professional ethics and standards.
“This is in view of the recognition that press freedom, as contained in Article 162 of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992, and indeed in all other forms of freedoms as in Article 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of the constitution, go with responsibility and the duty to respect public sensibilities, human dignity and public interest must at all times be observed,” Mr Dwumfour explained.
Justice
Mr Dwumfour said media practitioners viewed the men and women in uniform as partners in development in ensuring that governance and the rule of law were upheld and would not tolerate any form of abuse.
“Under the Dwumfour administration, if one journalist or media institution is attacked, I can assure our men in uniform, you have touched all practitioners, and we will apply the law to get justice,” he stressed.
He assured the victims of the attacks that the GJA would follow through with the petitions submitted to seek justice for all of them, adding that no one was above the law, irrespective of authority, rank or command.