The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has expressed grave concern over the assault and arrest of JoyNews reporter, Carlos Calony, and his cameraman, Jonas Dodzi Voegborlo, by National Security operatives in Accra.
According to MFWA, the incident, which also involved the assault of an eyewitness being interviewed by the journalist, constitutes a gross violation of human dignity and press freedom as guaranteed under Article 162 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Carlos Calony was reportedly arrested and detained at the National Security Head Office following the attack.
This incident occurred just a day after President John Dramani Mahama urged African governments to protect press freedom and the civic rights of marginalised groups at the 13th High-Level Dialogue on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance in Africa, held in Addis Ababa. In his address, the President stressed that democracy cannot thrive in the presence of fear and repression; a stance the MFWA says is contradicted by the latest assault.
The Foundation described the development as the second such attack by security officers on journalists in less than a month and called for immediate action from the government.
“The MFWA has noted that the Presidency, in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, has condemned the attacks and called for investigations and the imposition of appropriate punishment. While this is welcomed, the MFWA demands that the Minister for Defence and the National Security Coordinator attend to this urgently and with the highest level of transparency,” the statement said.
The Foundation further criticised the conduct of National Security operatives in recent times, describing their actions as increasingly troubling and in flagrant disregard of constitutional rights and human dignity.
It urged the government to address these excesses as a matter of urgency.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
