Danquah Institute has appealed to the Ghana Armed Forces to collaborate with the Ghana Police service to arrest and prosecute the Military officer who assaulted the Journalists who works with TV3.
A statement signed by the Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Richard Ahiagbah condemned the maltreatment of the journalist and demanded that the security services take action to punish the soldier in question to deter other from perpetrating these forms of abuse on Ghanaian Journalists
“As advocates of civil liberties under the rule of law, the Danquah Institute deplore the savage assault of the TV3 Journalist, Mr. Stanley Nii Blewu, at the Tema Station in Accra Central by a member of the Ghana Armed Forces. We condemn any form of intimidation, harassment, and assault against journalists as an attack on our democracy.”
“There cannot be any justification to explain the Journalist’s abuse, especially, when according to reports, the police officer whose office it is to enforce order finds no fault with the conduct or the Journalist’s presence.”
“The incessant nature of the attacks paints a picture of an undisciplined soldier who appears oblivious of the implications of his action for the Ghana Armed forces and our democracy.”
“We cannot in good conscience tolerate affronts of this nature to our democracy, particularly given the coming elections and the role the media must play to inform and aid citizens in expressing their views, making demands, or even finding faults with the functioning of the government.”
“Therefore, we call on the Ghana Armed forces leadership to act swiftly to apply appropriate sanctions to deter reoccurrence. In addition to sanctioning, there must be a demonstrable effort made to assure the public of the forces’ commitment to playing its part to safeguard our democracy and the freedoms and privileges it affords Ghanaians.
