Impunity, abuse of journalists will not end without punishments - Kwaku Azar

Accounting professor and private legal practitioner, Prof. Kwaku Asare aka Kwaku Azar, has wondered why anyone would justify the abuse of journalists by National Security operatives.

The outspoken lawyer in an opinion said political parties when coming to power promise to ensure the rule of law works but after winning power, they abuse their office.

He was reacting to the alleged abuse of broadcast journalist Caleb Kudah by National Security operatives over claims that he had captured photos in a security zone and send to her colleague Zoe Abu-Baidoo.

He said: “We did not fight the impunity that was commonplace during the military era only to replace it with impunity supervised by civilians.

The culture of impunity will not stop unless there are consequences for wrongdoing by these national security persons. Heads must roll!”

Read the full opinion below:

The manifestos of all political parties make it clear that they are for the rule of law, they are against misuse of the national security, they are against molestation of citizens, they support media accountability, etc.

What then is the ideological leanings of those who justify, excuse, support or otherwise trivialize the misuse of national security to abuse journalists?

The recordings captured by Caleb Kudah and sent to Zoe Abu-Baidoo are potential evidence. Causing such evidence to be destroyed or deleted is tampering of evidence. That is a serious crime.

No properly trained security person should tamper with evidence and no security person who does that should get away with it.

The common law is clear that security persons cannot conduct a warrantless search of a citizen’s phone. This is true, whether or not, the citizen has committed a crime.

What will cause national security persons to violate this clear law with impunity and even more shocking what will cause anyone to then support or justify such egregious breach of the law by those who should know better?

We did not fight the impunity that was commonplace during the military era only to replace it with impunity supervised by civilians.

The culture of impunity will not stop unless there are consequences for wrongdoing by these national security persons. Heads must roll!

#SALL is the cardinal sin of the 8th Parliament.

Da Yie!