President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Dwumfour has observed that journalists are usually put in harm’s way when soldiers are deployed for election management purposes.
He cited an instance in 2020 where a journalist sustained injuries during election reporting.
“Some incidents involving the military have occurred. We have seen visuals of military personnel in uniform at polling stations, the very locations where they were barred from going,” he said.
“When such things happen, there’s a high tendency that journalists may be affected. In 2020, there was an incident at Ablekuma Central where one of our own, Pius Asiedu, a student journalist, was severely injured while performing his role to inform and educate the public. Pius Asiedu has already undergone three surgeries and has not yet recovered,” he explained.
Military personnel have been seen at various locations across the country to the dismay of many who believe their presence has been unwarranted.
In a widely circulated video on social media, soldiers were seen in a scuffle with residents.
