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Pressure is mounting on the police to arrest the bodyguard of New Patriotic Party MP for Evalue-Gwira Constituency, Catherine Afeku, who allegedly assaulted a Metro TV journalist, Alhaji Mustapha Ashley.
The MP’s bodyguard is reported to have heckled Alhaji Ashley and deleted a video he had taken prior to the commencement of the hearing of a court case involving the MP’s spouse and one Angate Borzar.
The Regional branch of the GJA condemned the act in a statement, describing it as an “affront to democracy.”
“We want the identity of the said bodyguard established, arrested and made to face the law for abuse of power and ensure that such perpetrators of violations against journalists are punished.
“We want to remind the Police and the Minister of the state that we are in a democratic era and therefore the era of tyranny belongs to the past,” the statement from the GJA added.
It also called on the regional police command to investigate the police officer who assisted the bodyguard to carry out the act.
Alhaji Ashley joins the growing list of reporters who have been assaulted in the line of duty in recent times.
Calls have mounted on the government and other political parties for the protection of journalists.
In October 2018, a Joy FM reporter was assaulted by a member of John Mahama’s security detail while covering Mr. Mahama’s campaign to be NDC flagbearer.
Three journalists were also assaulted by security guards at the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) headquarters when they were covering a demonstration by some angry party members on December 21, 2017.
On March 14, 2019, a group of police officers brutally assaulted three journalists from the Ghanaian Times newspaper, leaving one in a critical but stable condition at the hospital. The journalists, who were on their way to cover a programme, got embroiled with one police officer who had hit the mirror of their car with his motor bicycle. Other police officers joined in assaulting the journalists.
A day later on March 15, a pastor, Reverend Owusu Bempah stormed the premises of Accra-based Radio XYZ with four thugs in search of one of the station’s presenters, Mugabe Maase. The pastor said the presenter had made derogatory remarks about him during the previous day’s edition of the political talk show that the presenter hosts at the station.
Threatening to kill Maase and get the station closed down, Owusu Bempah reportedly created chaos at the station as his thugs attempted to manhandle guests who condemned the invasion. It is the second time in four months that the pastor has attacked a radio station.
“We unreservedly condemn this dastardly act by Prophet Owusu Bempah and trust that the security agencies shall deal with the matter expeditiously,” a statement from the management of Radio XYZ said. The management has since reported the matter to the police.
Prior to these incidents, investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni of the Multimedia Group had been receiving chilling threats from unknown persons. The threats followed the release of an investigative documentary by the journalist on March 7, 2019, about an alleged vigilante group reportedly aligned to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), which has been using the former seat of government, the Osu Castle, as its training grounds.
The Media Foundation for West Africa was deeply concerned about the sad events of the past week which add to a growing number of press freedom violations in Ghana in recent times.
These violations create a creeping sense of insecurity for journalists and the media in Ghana which is otherwise held up as a model in Africa in terms of respect for press freedom.
Read the full statement below:
GJA CONDEMNS UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON METRO TV CAMERAMAN
The Western Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (Western-GJA) is calling for immediate arrest of bodyguard of the Member of Parliament for Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira Constituency and Minister State at the Presidency for assaulting Metro TV Cameraman and deletion of video footage from his camera.
The Cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Ashley was among other journalists covering a court case involving Seth Afeku, the husband of the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira MP and one Angate Borzar who was arrested on the orders of Mr Afeku.
After the unfortunate incident, the regional GJA received an official complaint from the Metro TV Cameraman indicating that his camera was seized and video deleted under the supervision of the police without his permission.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the regional GJA revealed that, before the commencement of the court proceedings, the Metro TV Cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Ashley was taking video footage outside the court premises to support his story since recordings or picture/video inside the courtroom is not allowed.
This was after he had sought permission from the court clerk.
Without any provocation, the said bodyguard identified as (Appiah) who arrived in the company of the MP & Minister of State, Mrs Catherine Afeku and the husband, Seth Afeku, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Frank Okpenyen, upon seeing him (the cameraman) with his camera, the bodyguard rushed, interrupted him and ordered him to hand over Metro TV branded video camera to him.
The refusal of Alhaji Mustapha Ashley to handover his official camera to the bodyguard resulted in a fierce confrontation and heckling, which attracted the intervention of a policeman.
Another senior officer who also arrived asked the cameraman to hand over the camera to the junior police officer which he did.
However, surprisingly, the Member of Parliament for Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira Constituency and Minister State and MCE looked on unconcerned and gracefully walked to take their positions in the courtroom.
It was interesting to note that, after the camera was handed back to the Metro TV Cameraman after the court proceedings, all visuals on the camera were deleted under the supervision of officers of the Ghana Police Service and offered no explanation as to why they tampered with the Metro TV Camera.
The regional GJA therefore condemned the attack of Alhaji Mustapha Ashley, while on duty, which is affront to press freedom.
We want to remind the police and the minister of state that we are in a democratic era and therefore the era of tyranny and “political Khakistocracy” belongs to the past.
We are shocked that after recent adaptation of a framework on Police Media Relations and safety of Journalists in the country, Axim Police supervised the seizure and deletion of reporter’s professional work and could not be anything less than an attack on press freedom.
The framework, which identified that despite Ghana’s legal guarantees to freedom of expression and its enviable record of having a good press freedom environment, journalists continue to face challenges such as physical attacks and threats in the discharge of their duties.
We are reminding the Western Regional Police Command of our decades of good working relationship with them and all security agencies. They should therefore not allow their men to be used by the political class to undermine press freedom or curtail the freedom of public unduly.
We know that the cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Ashley with many years of experience followed the court reporting protocols when it comes to court reporting even to the extent of seeking clearance.
We once again wish to call on the Regional Commander to investigate the said senior officer why he ordered the reporter to hand his camera to the junior officer.
We also want to know who deleted the video footage from the Metro TV Camera and why
Again we want the identity of the said bodyguard established, arrested and made to face the law for abuse of power and ensure that such perpetrators of violations against journalists are punished.
Long live the GJA
Long live Ghana
Signed!
Zambaga Rufai Saminu
Western Regional Secretary (GJA)
Contacts: 0242377558//024 452 6151
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