The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says Parliament and the public must hold the Judiciary and the police accountable particularly in the wake of reported attacks on journalists.
According to him, there has been a distressing trend where cases reported to the police and presented in courts have stalled without visible progress.
“The phenomenon of attacks and intimidation of journalists is gaining notoriety in our republic. Data available to the Ministry of Information suggests that the trend is ascending. Increasingly, various actors in our society – state actors, non-state actors, political party operatives, assigns of businesses and everyday citizens are resorting to attacks and intimidation of journalists as a means of expressing their displeasure,” the Information Minister said.
During his presentation in Parliament on Wednesday, November 8, Mr Nkrumah expressed concern over the growing prevalence of attacks targeting journalists.
He underscored his ministry’s efforts to safeguard journalists and urged other relevant bodies to fulfill their responsibilities in protecting the press.
Regarding investigations into specific incidents, the Information Minister referenced his outfit’s involvement in probing an attack on a journalist affiliated with Accra-based Citi FM.
According to him, the report by the office determined that the handling of the journalist was excessive and unprofessional.
He further outlined that these findings led to the dissolution of the SWAT teams under the National Security Ministry, with officers returning to their respective agencies.
“Other incidents of reported attacks on journalists have also been investigated by the office, with findings conveyed to security and prosecutorial agencies for action,” Mr Nkrumah indicated.
Expressing regret over the limited success of the accountability mechanism, Mr Nkrumah stressed the crucial need to hold investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial bodies responsible for addressing reported incidents.
“The need to hold the investigative, prosecutorial and judicial agencies accountable for the incidents reported to them cannot be over-emphasised. Holding the judiciary and prosecution accountable on a sustained basis must be the norm,” he said.
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