The President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Albert Dwumfour has expressed his displeasure with the bad state of press freedom and safety in Ghana.
He made the remarks on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
According to him, Ghana was once recognised globally as a country that is highly democratic in terms of press freedom in Africa. Currently, GJA has recorded 45 cases of assaults and attacks against media practitioners and media organisations.
Alarming trends indicate that the year 2023 has recorded the highest number of cases per year, with October 2023 setting an unfortunate record by having the highest number of incidents in a single month—four cases.
The GJA called on the government to exhibit stronger dedication to eradicating the prevailing impunity against the media.
“We urge the Attorney-General and the Police to prefer the requisite charges against people who indulge in such impunity in order to ensure the imposition of maximum punishment against them. We also urge the Judiciary not to be lenient with convicts of such crime in order to deter others from doing same.”
The association marked this year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists with the hope that it will serve as a turning point in Ghana’s journey towards ending impunity for crimes against journalists and restoring the nation to a path of righteousness concerning media freedom.