Stop attacking journalists – GJA
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Affail Monney, has condemned attacks by Assin North Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, on Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor.
“We will not rest until something is done about these attacks made on journalists,” he pledged.
The Assin North MP had threatened the journalist on his television station Net 2 TV after he accused him of false reportage concerning the death of activist Ibrahim Mohammed, popularly known as Kaaka.
“This boy (Erastus Asare Donkor) should be beaten seriously. It is so annoying. We should beat the hell out of him,” he stated.”If I were the president, I would have had him flogged. Is the media above the law?”.
The MP launched the above scathing attacks and threats on Erastus Asare Donkor because of his journalistic work during the recent shootings and killing incident at Ejura.
Condemning the comments by the MP, Mr Monney referred to similar comments before the murder of Tiger Eye PI undercover reporter Ahmed Suale in 2019.
“Indeed, the latest threats against Erastus presents another prompting to deal surgically with the impunity which is a stain on Ghana’s reputation as the citadel of press freedom in Africa,” he added.
The Ghana Independent Broadcaster Association (GIBA) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have condemned the utterances by the MP.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) also condemned and called for investigations into the comment by the MP.
“The MFWA is deeply concerned about the MP’s hostility towards Erastus Asare Donkor and his open call for the journalist to be beaten. This concern is borne out of Kennedy Agyapong’s previous attacks on Ahmed Suale before the investigative journalist was murdered in Accra on January 16, 2019. The MP had published a picture of the undercover journalist and urged his supporters to attack him wherever they found him.”
“Against this background, we find Kennedy Agyapong’s attack on Erastus Asare Donkor reckless and highly disappointing, especially from an MP, and at this time when the country is still mourning the killing of Ibrahim Muhammed and the two protesters.”