Minister for Information Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has called on judges to give deterrent punishments for persons who attack media practitioners for discharging their professional duties, regardless of the political affiliations or social standing of the perpetrators.
Such punitive punishments, he stressed, are required to stem the tide of attacks on journalists in the country, and grant them the required peace and freedom to practice their profession.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah made the call on Monday at a training workshop for judges on the need to protect freedom of expression and safety of journalists.
“The wheels of justice may grind slowly, but, My Lord Chief Justice, the feedback I have from my media colleagues is that we believe some quick punitive action targeted at the perpetrators of infringements against media practitioners will be appreciated”, he stated.
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah said it would be the strongest message to the next batch of state and non-state actors that it is not acceptable to attack journalists, no matter how much you disagree with that they say.
Capacity-building
The training programme was attended by 25 judges from both the High and Appeal courts.
The programme is designed to deepen the capacity of judges in dealing with matters of freedom of expression and safety of journalists.
It is also to reinforce their expertise towards fighting abuses against journalists by ensuring prosecution and trial of those responsible for these attacks.
Present at the event were the UNESCO Country Representative, Mr. Abdourahmane Diallo; Representative of the Chief Justice, Professor Dominic Dennis Adjei, who is also a Justice of the Court of Appeal, and other well-known dignitaries.
Mr. Diallo pointed out that the issue of freedom of expression and the safety of journalists are very delicate area which demand the attention of duty-bearers, arbitration authorities and the security services.
“This is because freedom of expression and the safety of journalists are fundamental freedoms and indices determining how compliant or negligent a country is, relative to its constitutional provisions on these fundamental freedoms,” he explained.
Prof. Justice Adjei also underscored the need for a collaboration between stakeholders within the media space to build a more robust ecosystem that ensures that infringements on the safety of journalists are reduced to the barest minimum, if not eradicated entirely.
Strategic measures
As part of efforts to address the issue of attacks on journalists, the Ministry of Information has set in motion a number of programmes with the objective of supporting the media.
The engagements have, since 2019, led to the development of some key interventions aimed at supporting the media industry confront the key issues it is faced with.
First was the inauguration of the office of the Coordinated Mechanism on the Safety of Journalists (CMSJ) under the National Media Commission (NMC).
Key to the operation of this office is the development of a framework for use by all stakeholders to create a safe and conducive environment for the practice of journalism; prevent violence against journalists; protect journalists in danger and prosecute perpetrators of violence against journalists.
Additionally, the Ministry, through its Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP), is also providing training for some 250 journalists on emerging issues in journalism. This forms part of collaborative efforts to support the sector which has been challenged in recent times.
The Right to Information (RTI) has also been rolled out in full. This includes the training and deployment or designation of RTI officers in the almost 600 government offices nationwide. It also includes the set-up of the RTI Commission, currently making impressive strides in ensuring compliance by public offices to the RTI Act.
The Ministry has also facilitated broad-based consultation on a new Broadcasting Bill, which will assist state institutions better regulate the broadcasting sector.
