The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Attorney-General and prosecutorial authorities to prioritise cases involving assaults on journalists to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
The Association has also appealed to the government to provide investigative agencies with the necessary resources to speed up investigations into reported attacks on media practitioners.
GJA President, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, made the appeal on Monday, November 2, during a press briefing to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
He urged the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana National Fire Service, National Security and other security institutions to cooperate fully with investigations into attacks on journalists by providing relevant evidence and taking disciplinary action against personnel found responsible.
Mr Dwumfour stressed that journalists play an important role in serving the public interest and should not be regarded as adversaries by state institutions.
He further called on the government to ensure that public institutions cooperate with accountability processes, while urging the courts to handle cases involving attacks on journalists fairly and without unnecessary delays.
“Journalists are not adversaries; they perform an important public interest duty and must be allowed to work safely,” he stated.
He added that the GJA expects the government to provide the necessary resources to support effective investigations and ensure that institutions cooperate with efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
The Association’s appeal comes amid reports of attacks on journalists while performing their professional duties, renewing concerns about the safety of media practitioners and the need to end impunity for crimes committed against them.
