Oppong Nkrumah demands tougher punishment for persons who assault journalists
Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has urged judges to punish perpetrators of attacks against journalists with speed and severity irrespective of their social status and political affiliations.
According to him, this will stem the tide of attacks against journalists in the country.
The information minister was speaking at a training workshop for judges on the need to protect the freedom of expression and the safety of journalists on Monday, 20 June 2022.
“My Lords, yes the wheels of justice may grind slowly but the feedback I have from my media colleagues is that we believe some quick punitive action, targeted at the perpetrators of infringement against media practitioners will be appreciated.
“It will be the strongest message to the next batch of state and non-state actors who may even contemplate attacking media practitioner in the line of his work that it is not acceptable and more importantly, the court will severely punish you if you dare.
“It will be a message stronger than any admonition that anybody can give. If we want these acts which frankly, are a disgrace and an embarrassment to our democracy to stop, please punish these act with speed regardless of who commits them,” the minister said.
Although Ghana is highly respected for its press freedom credentials globally, the rights of its journalists have often been abused.
In the last decade, the number of reported cases of torture and abuse of journalists have increased significantly and the lack of prosecution or sanctions against errant officers is believed to have made the situation a worsening epidemic.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), a civil society group, has identified over 150 incidents of violation against journalists since 2002, with the majority being physical attacks mostly perpetrated by security agencies.
With a constitution that recognises media freedom and independence, a huge obligation is placed on Ghana’s leadership to protect journalists.