Ghana's Attack on Journalists & Freedom of Speech

Accra, Ghana, the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana in an interview spoke about Ghana's decline in freedoms of speech. In turn the lack of freedom of the press for Ghanian journalists, the interviewer sites her claims as being from 2021. When the year 2022 has seen violence & arrests towards journalists.

Many journalists have accounts of unwarranted arrests and violent attacks at the hands of official agencies of the Ghana government under President Akufo-Addo.

Most recently, journalists have faced a spate of violent attacks throughout the country, many from major political party supporters. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has recorded 14 cases of abuse of journalists, including five arrests since the begining of 2022.

"These repeated abuses against journalists and media outlets amount to persecution," said RSF West Africa director Sadibou Marong.

"What am I going to face? Is this safe?”

Investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of The Fourth Estate Manasseh Azure Awuni has had his own experiences with intimidation. In the past five years, he has received death threats and has been unsuccessfully sued multiple times for defamation.

Source: Akademie DW

On 8th February 2022, a High Court in Accra sentenced radio journalist Oheneba Boamah Bennie to a prison sentence of 14 days and a fine of 3,000 Ghanian cedi (approximately 395 USD) for contempt of court. The charge relates to a video posted on Facebook in which the Power FM host and commentator claims that President Nana Akufo-Addo had met with Supreme Court judges preceding their decision on an election petition by opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC), who were challenging the December 2020 electoral results. He was arrested on 14th December 2020 by officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and held for two days in relation to the Facebook post and accused of insulting and issuing threats to President Nana Akufo-Addo. The judge reportedly declined a request from Bennie to substitute the prison sentence for an additional fine due to his poor health.

On 25th February 2022, national security operatives arrested freelance journalist Sacut Amenga-Etego on accusations of 'illegally' filming them and arrested suspects on the premises of the High Court. The court ordered the detention of the journalist for a period of two weeks as the judge deemed the journalist a security threat to “the court complex or the whole nation". On 1st March 2022, the journalist was discharged but he was immediately re-arrested on bribery allegations.

Source: Monitor Cirvicus

Ghana and Senegal have both declined in freedoms of the press recently which includes freedom of speech. The decline has been met with ignoring the plight of free journalism within both countries. Rarely why many read or see negative article about Ghana, life in Ghana, xenophobia and discrimination as well as White Supremacy rhetoric within the country.

Also all over world the killing of women journalists in on the rise at an alarming rate, so much so that women journalists fear for their lives. This is causing a further decline of women in journalism. As where before women reporters received more threats of violence and death threats than their male counterparts.

Many Ghanians fear speaking out against their government, let alone writing and reporting on the issues taking place under the current administration. There have recently been some protests within the country something that in the past was very rare. The human rights of the government should closely be monitored for safety and quality of life for all Ghanian citizens.

There are many issues that have gone without being addressed, especially in the recent year of economic decline. The President Akufo-Addo has claimed that there is no corruption within his government and refuses to investigate any claims as such.

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