The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has expressed worry over the incessant attacks on Journalists by the Immigration, the Military and individuals amount to terrorism against Journalists.
The GJA President, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour who addressed a news conference in Accra on Tuesday Said the Association remains committed to fighting for the interest of Journalists.
The President’s address was occasioned by separate attacks on 3 Journalists by the Military, Immigration and Individuals.
The GJA President, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour addressing the media
“ These acts, by the military against a journalist who was carrying his constitutionally mandated duty, can pass for terrorism against the Journalist and journalism in this country.
Again, let me emphasize that the GJA has petitioned the military hierarchy and we are waiting for an urgent response. Our demands include, investigating the matter thoroughly and sanctioning the culprits appropriately.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, few weeks ago in Ashaiman, Angel Fm’s Tema Regional Correspondent, Augustine Ahiabor was assaulted with his phone smashed by Residents of Ashaiman Lebanon Zone 2, just for taking picture of a toilet facility in a compound that had collapsed on people”, Mr. Dwumfour emphasized.
Below is the full statement
PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY GJA PRESIDENT, ALBERT KWABENA DWUMFOUR REGARDING ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS HELD ON TUESDAY JULY 18, 2023 AT THE PRESS CENTRE.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of our noble profession.
You are welcomed to this important press conference that is very dear to the GJA, because it boarders on the survival and sanctity of our profession, and therefore, as practitioners, you must be equally worried.
The immediate trigger to this Press conference is the incessant attacks on Journalists in the country in recent times. As you may all be aware, the attacks on Journalists have become so rampant that the GJA cannot silent on them, as our colleagues continue to suffer such inhumane treatment.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, one of the cases that is fresh in memory is the attack on the Upper West Regional Chairman of GJA, Sualah Abdul-wahab.The circumstances under which an Immigration Officer pointed a gun at him and threatened to shoot him on June 20, 2023, without any provocation, certainly require urgent investigation and appropriate sanctions where necessary.
Sualah, who is also the Upper East Regional Correspondent of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, was travelling from Wa to Bolgatanga on a public transport to attend a workshop on climate change. The vehicle stopped at the Immigration check-point at Naro in the Nadowli-Kaleo District for routine check of Ghana Card of all passengers. The passengers, including Sualah, disembarked from the vehicle. He then requested to use a kettle (“buta”) belonging to the Immigration Officers to perform Ablution in a make-shift roofing-sheet structure believed to be a urinal. But the Immigration officers declined his request so he returned the kettle (buta) and decided to go into the bush to urinate.
On his way, one of the officers instructed him to cross to the other side of the road to urinate. Sualah did not find any justification in risking his life to cross a highway just to urinate when it was safe to do so in the bush on the side of the road where he was.
The Immigration Officer, out of anger, shouted: “I am asking you to cross the road to urinate and you are challenging me”. He then cocked his gun and threatened: “If you are a man, go and urinate”.
Sualah, together with the other passengers, quickly moved away from the scene, and further into the bush to urinate. When Sualah returned, the Immigration Officer again threatened to “blow off” his head for challenging him.
In the course of the events, another Immigration Officers with name tag, Anim Agyepong, who was wearing the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI), and believed to be the seniormost officer among them, suddenly rushed over and threatened to arrest and lock up Sualah. Subsequently, he rushed into his office and returned with a side arm (pistol) threatening to shoot the journalist for being “too knowing” amidst insults. He later put the pistol on a chair and wanted to attack Sualah physically but was restrained by some passengers and his colleagues. When calm was restored, one of the Immigration Officers asked Sualah to go and apologize to the senior Immigration Officer. But the passengers disagreed, contending that they (passengers) were rather the victims of abuse from the officers. When the immigration Officers realized that all the passengers were resolved not to offer any apology, they refused to open the barrier, and unduly delayed the vehicle for sometime as punishment before allowing them to pass.
We call on the interior Minister Hon. Ambrose Dery to act swiftly on this matter relating to the attacks on Suala Abdul Wahab by senior immigration officers. We expect him to act swiftly just as he did in his reaction to the IGP’s leaked tape.
We see the men in uniform as partners in development in ensuring that governance and rule of law are upheld. They must be seen to be protecting Journalists rather than attacking them. As enforcers of the law, they must know better. Therefore, we take their actions against journalists as deliberate attempt to gag journalists.
The GJA finds the conduct of the Immigration Officers to be highly unprofessional and gross misconduct, which warrant severe sanctions.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, it is important to note that as part of our action plans, the GJA has already petitioned the Controller General of Ghana Immigration Service, Lawyer Takyi Assuah, and copied the Interior Minister to investigate the incident and sanction the officers involved where necessary to serve as deterrent to others.
Colleagues, the second case occurred a few weeks ago in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region where some miners were trapped in a mining pit. In the aftermath of that disaster, the Ashanti Regional Correspondent of GTV, Nicholas Osei-Owusu, was attacked by some soldiers while covering the incident. The only offence he committed was videoing a warning-shooting spree being carried out by the soldiers to disperse a mob on the premises of the Obuasi Central Police Station.
According to Nicholas, he ordered some of his men to confiscate his official working gadgets and asked them to delete the videos as well.
Well, when he was not so sure of what they had done to retrieve the content from the phone used to capture the unfolding events, the military man personally seized it, went through it and deleted every video the Journalists had taken.
To be certain that, no traces of the deleted videos were left, he went into the ‘recycle bin’ on the phone and deleted everything there before handing the gadget back to him.
Sincerely, there was no act of provocation/resistance from the Journalists as we have been told and as established by our investigations.
The military man would not even tolerate the identity of the journalist as coming from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and went further to make some scornful comment that he is coming from GBC and so what’ before snatching the phone. And this is the State Broadcaster/Public Service Broadcaster we are talking about!
These acts, by the military against a journalist who was carrying his constitutionally mandated duty, can pass for terrorism against the Journalist and journalism in this country.
Again, let me emphasize that the GJA has petitioned the military hierarchy and we are waiting for an urgent response. Our demands include, investigating the matter thoroughly and sanctioning the culprits appropriately.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, few weeks ago in Ashaiman, Angel Fm’s Tema Regional Correspondent, Augustine Ahiabor was assaulted with his phone smashed by Residents of Ashaiman Lebanon Zone 2, just for taking picture of a toilet facility in a compound that had collapsed on people. The matter is currently in court so we are keenly monitoring the outcome.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the violations that have been recorded in Ghana over the past year, in our view, give course for pessimism regarding the country’s performance in the next ranking of global media freedom.
It is obvious that our press freedom environment is deteriorating seriously and it is our view therefore that, efforts to bring a positive change should begin from authorities, in sanctioning people who commit atrocities against Journalists and media practitioners.
Whilst at it, we also call on government to adequately resource the National Media Commission (NMC) to effectively carry out its mandate of monitoring and regulating media content in a proactive manner.
This, will help empower people to bring issues of professional misconduct and ethical breaches to them for redress.
The GJA continues to commit itself to promoting professional standards in the media, and will urge all journalists and media houses, to continue to uphold article 8 of the GJA code of conduct and ethics to guarantee the highest level of integrity and professionalism that we can all be proud of.
We will not hesitate to call out any journalist or media organization that indulges in flagrant violation of the 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.
As I bring my remarks to a close, let it be made known to all in the security services that, we are collaborators in the service of our nation, but 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.
All the victims of these unwarranted attacks too, I want to assure you, that we will follow through the petitions submitted, and make sure we seek justice for all of them.
No one is above the law, and no one is the law, the law is the law, and does not respect authority, rank or command. We are all therefore equal before the law.
Long live Press Freedom!
Long live GJA!!
Thank you for your wrapped attention.
source:www.senaradioonline.com
