GJA President, Affail Monney, speaking at the event
The Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has called for an end to the lack of punishment for perpetrators of crimes against journalists.
According to the association, impunity emboldens the perpetrators to attack journalists more and exert a significant chill on press freedom.
Speaking at the commemoration of International Day to end Impunity for crimes against journalists, GJA President, Affail Money, said the high crimes against journalist that go unpunished reignites a self-propelling cycle and emboldens the perpetrators to attack journalists more and more.
He stated that Ghana, which is a reference point and standard measure for free speech and media freedom in Africa, has had a few disturbing cases of attacks against journalist that have gone unpunished citing the assassination of Ahmed Suale of
Tiger Eye fame.
Mr. Money expressed the hope that the initial announcement by the police that several people had been arrested in connection with the murder would be followed with prosecution and if found guilty, the killers punished to the fullest extent permissible by law.
“This will be the strongest antidote for the cancerous spread of impunity in Ghana,” he said.
The GJA President therefore noted that the Day should exact iron-clad commitment from all stakeholders to confront the issues of impunity with utmost audacity, ferocity and tenacity regardless of who the offenders are.
“We remind the law and order community in particular that a critical element of rule of law is confidence in the law. Confidence in the law should therefore not wobble but double, relative to dealing with attacks against journalist,” he added.
UNESCO Country Representative, Abdourahnamane Diallo, reading a statement by the Director General of UNESCO on the occasion said between 2010 and 2019, close to 900 journalists were killed while doing their job, globally with more than 150 in the last two years alone.
He further indicated that in seven out of every eight killings the perpetrators go unpunished.
“Journalists are essential in preserving the Fundamental Right to Freedom of Expression guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights… States therefore have an obligation to protect journalists and ensure that the perpetrators of crimes against them are health accountable,” he said.
He indicated that UNESCO had thus trained nearly 17,000 judicial operators in recent years, including on issues of impunity and is developing guidelines in partnership with the International Association of Prosecutors to assist prosecutors in investigating crimes and attacks against journalists.
“Only by investigating and persecuting crimes against media professionals can we guarantee access to information and freedom of expression. Only by speaking truth to power can we advance peace, justice and sustainable development in our societies,” he said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri