Attacking journalists is a violation of the law – IGP
The Inspector General of Police says Ghanaians would be living in a jungle if aggrieved persons are just allowed to take the law into their own hands and attack journalists for unfavourable stories written about them.
The IGP made the remark in a speech read on his behalf in Accra, to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity of attacks against journalists. The Day observed on November 2 was instituted by the United Nations in 2013 at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.
Speaking on behalf of the IGP, the Director General of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) David Ampah-Bennin issued a stern reminder that any individual, body or institution which impedes the media from carrying out their legitimate duty is breaching the law of the land.
He said: “To go to the extent of assaulting or brutalizing a journalist compounds one’s criminal liabilities, as it could bring in offences like assault, causing harm, causing damage, and even murder, where the victim loses his or her life.
It is about time every Tom, Dick and Harry appreciated the importance of the media, their essence in the country, and accorded them their rights. The fact that a journalist wrote some unpalatable story about you or your institution does not make him or her a criminal; in fact, the Criminal Libel Law does not exist in our books anymore.
If anyone feels aggrieved by any piece of journalistic work, or any attitude of any media person, let the person resort to the law to seek redress. You do not take the laws into your own hands and exact the punishment you desire. If we allowed that, we would be living in a jungle,” he said.
The IGP also cautioned journalists to be mindful of their responsibilities in Article 164 of the 1992 constitution which subjects their rights in Articles 162 and 163, to “law that are reasonably required in the interest of national security, public order, public morality and for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons.”
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney noted that “when impunity becomes pervasive, it activates a self-propelling re-energizing cycle with every additional infringement that the low risk of punishment inspires.”
He declared that “the high blood pressure of words and anaemia of action must give way to relentless prosecution, merciless imprisonment and deterrent fines” against perpetrators of attacks against journalists.
One or two murders and at least 98 physical attacks have been recorded against Ghanaian journalists since 2005, with security agencies and political party affiliates being the most frequent perpetrators of physical attacks.
There have also been at least 16 detentions and 4 arrests recorded within the period.
By Emmanuel Odonkor