31 journalists were assaulted in 2018 - UPDN

Ghana has recorded not less than thirty-one press related brutalities in 2018, a report by the United Press for Development Network (UPDN), has disclosed.

According to the UPDN, the increasing rate of attacks on journalists, mostly perpetrated by personnel of the police, military officers, political party sympathizers and even government officials, exposes the deteriorating conditions of safety of pressmen in the country.

In an end of year press statement signed by its Principal Servant, Kofi Asante Mensah, the UPDN insists “The vicious and shameful act” questions Ghana’s records as a country of positive press freedom and Africa’s first country and twenty third in the world in press freedom.

“These achievements, coupled with hosting the 2018 World Press Freedom Day in Accra Ghana were not enough to curb or minimize the menace this year. Journalists continue to be vulnerable to brutal attacks, which are perpetrated with gross impunity. The corner stone and foundation of our young democracy quiver when media persons wail and tears bitterly as a result of assaults meted out to them,” the UPDN bemoaned.

To back its claims, the UPDN provides evidence of some incidents of attacks on journalists in 2018.

Background

Joy News' multiple award-winning journalist, Latif Iddrisu suffered head injury after he was attacked by some officers of the Ghana Police Service earlier this year.

Latif was at the Police Headquarters to report on the arrest of NDC’s former Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho.

On October 29, 2018, another Joy News reporter, Parker Wilson was assaulted by a member of security detail of former President Mahama.

Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas also suffered verbal attacks from some government officials following the release of his famous ‘Number 12’ investigative piece which exposed corruption in Ghana’s football sector.

The UPDN provides evidence of some incidents of attacks on journalists in 2018 to back its claims.

Read the full statement below