The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has raised concerns over a High Court decision that imposed a injunction barring a journalist from publishing the outcome of an investigative work by a journalist, describing the ruling as a serious blow to press freedom.
The judgment, delivered on November 7, 2025, by the High Court (Human Rights Division), arose from the case of Ms Cynthia Adjei v Mr Innocent Samuel Appiah and the Attorney General.
The matter stemmed from a human rights enforcement action filed by a private businesswoman, Ms Adjei, against investigative journalist Mr Appiah. She argued that the journalist had violated her right to privacy by seeking information about her business interests through WhatsApp messages and formal correspondence.
According to the court records, Mr Appiah’s inquiries focused on Ms Adjei’s companies, collectively referred to as the Lysaro Group, and touched on issues including the alleged failure to renew company documentation, tax compliance, possible conflicts of interest in procurement contracts at GOIL, and the acquisition of state lands.
In his defence, Mr Appiah maintained that he was carrying out routine investigative journalism on matters of public interest. He said his engagement with Ms Adjei followed accepted ethical standards, allowing the subject an opportunity to respond before publication. He further noted that no story had been published at the time the lawsuit was initiated.
The court nonetheless ruled in favour of Ms Adjei, holding that the act of seeking information for publication amounted to a breach of her constitutional right to privacy under Article 18(2). It granted a perpetual injunction restraining the journalist from publishing any information about her and awarded costs against him, although it dismissed her claim for damages.
Reacting to the decision, GJA President Albert Dwumfour warned that the ruling posed a direct threat to the media’s watchdog function.
“The recent ruling by the High Court sends a chilling message to every journalist in this country,” he said.
“Press freedom is not a gift from the state; it is a fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution that we must defend at all costs,” Mr Dwumfour added while speaking at the 3rd GJA Dinner Night in Accra.
He stressed that the Association would resist legal actions that erode journalists’ rights and urged the judiciary to strike a careful balance between protecting individual reputations and upholding the public’s right to information in a democratic society.
