Private Legal practitioner, Samson Lardy Anyenini has waded into the call for urgent measures to secure the fast deterioration of press freedom in Ghana.
Speaking on the surge in attacks on journalists and the recent interruption of United ShowBizz on UTV by some individuals, he said press freedom has been under serious siege in the current administration.
He revealed that several journalists have received and still receiving threats from government officials, parliamentarians and party members of the ruling NPP.
“Press freedom that has been under siege, particularly in this regime and I make no apologies for saying so because the evidence is quite appalling,” he emphasized.
Mr. Anyenini also indicated that to a larger extent not only journalists have recently come under threats and attacks but also includes Judges, and other opinion leaders.
“It’s just too much evidence to show from party thugs at the very onset of this administration tacking even a court. Who would have imagined that that would happen in our democracy? And the question is, in the end, what happened to them?” he stressed in an interview with Accra-based Metro TV, Good Morning Ghana on Monday.
He attributed the continuous violence on journalists and other individuals to the lack of government’s commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of such acts face the law.
The Joy News file host opined saying it seems the country has suddenly been jinxed to be quiet about all of these matters.
“I am a journalist. I am a lawyer. I go to court. And as we speak, I am fighting for journalists who are dying. I’m fighting for journalists who, but for medical machines propping up their lives.”
To him, it is unconstitutional for any political party, individuals, organizations or even the government to dictate to any private media organization how it should run its programs or which content to show.
He, therefore, condemned what happened at UTV on Saturday during a live show.
The Private Legal practitioner underscored the constitution guiding media houses in Ghana and said a private media organization or a media person can decide to affiliate with a particular political party on their platforms and to advocate for that political party against another political party.
“That is not illegal, that is not criminal, that is not unconstitutional…So if you are a journalist practicing in your media house in your private practice, there is no legal obligation on you.
If you decide that you want to play a neutral game, then it’s a moral obligation on you. Otherwise, let the people decide where they want to listen and let it be stated and very emphatically that you cannot, even if you deem a media house is doing something wrong, you cannot invade that media house and be heard saying the things we heard this party people saying, because that is never a legal recourse.”
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Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
