Press Release

We of the Progressive Journalists Union of Ghana (ProJUG) would like to express our regret at the acts of violence being meted out to journalists in the country, particularly our members.

Two of our members who were in the company of officials from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) were last Wednesday attacked by security personnel at the former president John Agyekum Kufuor’s house. Though the ex-president’s spokesperson has rendered an apology, it is in our view that verbal apologies are nothing if they do not come with a change of heart.

Sincerely, this is not the first time journalists have suffered brutalization in the hands of security details associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP). We recall that not too long ago, (during the heat of the 2008 general elections) some members of ProJUG, including the Ag. Vice President, were seriously attacked by the personal body guards of Nana Akufo Addo at his residence, when all they seek was to do their job. Police report was made but no action has been taken yet.

We wish to state that it is time political parties and their leaders in this country, especially the NPP, bring its security apparatus to order and to let them know that the media plays a very important role in building the democracy of this country. Ghana’s democracy is still fragile and the frequent occurrence of such attacks on journalists will mar it.

We state here that last week’s assault on the reporters of the Financial Intelligence newspaper, the Ghanaian Voice newspaper and Radio Gold must be condemned by all lovers of democracy and friends of the media.

We are also demanding an unqualified apology from the security forces especially the police for their attacks on us. We are also calling on the authorities to seriously take up the matter and investigate it so the culprits involved can be brought to book.

We believe that the lackadaisical behavior of the law enforcers to enforce the law motivates people with sinister motives to engage in criminal acts.

In any case, it is against the human rights law to subject anybody to physical attack whether the person is found guilty of a crime or not.

That not withstanding we find it very worrying when sections of the media rejoice over the incident instead of condemning it. We believe it is unethical for a media house to question what a journalist (irrespective of his media affiliation) was doing at the scene. It is ill-advised that a media house will rejoice over such an incidence and quickly jump to tag the journalists involved as political party activists. We have come a long way and we must grow up to live up to expectation.

We however call on journalists to also exercise restraints in their endeavours to ensure peace.


Sgnd.
Ag. General Secretary
Kofi Ahovi