Speaker: It’s Archaic To Arrest Journalists Over Publications

Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, says it is primitive for the Police to be arresting journalists over the publication of so-called false news.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Parliamentary Press Corps Centre in Accra, the Speaker pointed out that even if a publication is false, the offense is civil and not criminal and therefore does not warrant Police arrest.

“If the writings of journalists affect people, they know what to do. Do they have recourse to the law? These are civil matters; they are not criminal. The increasing tendency on the part of the police to arrest journalists for what they describe as mistakes is old-school, it’s anachronistic. It is sending this country into the dark ages of media persecution,” the Speaker stated.

The Speaker’s statement adds to voices of concern that have spoken up about the Akufo-Addo government’s use of the Police to arrest and intimidate journalists over publications that are critical of the government.

Rt. Hon. Bagbin’s comment follows that of former President John Mahama who has personally written to Mr. Akufo-Addo to protest the despotic arrest of journalists.

Within three weeks, four journalists and activists were arrested by the police, often for allegations they made on radio or on social media, which according to the police are false.

The arrested persons include; Accra FM’s Bobie Ansah, Power FM’s Oheneba Boamah Bennie, and the Executive Director of the Alliance For Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson who were all slapped with the charge of the publication of false news and offensive conduct.

The development has reignited conversations on whether Ghana has returned to the dark days of criminal libel where many journalists were incarcerated over publications they made.