As the world converge in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia to mark this year’s (2019) World Press Freedom Day to honor the “fight” for freest press, high international standards and ethics of journalistic practice that ensure professional service to humanity rather than a commercial service, United Press for Development Network is by this Press release wishing all Media Practitioners Happy Press Freedom Day.

Sadly in Ghana, there is epidemic rate of press brutality and murder of Journalists.

After shamelessly recording over thirty-one (31) press assaults and murders in 2018, Ghana commenced this year (2019) with the assassination of Ahmed Hussein Suale, Tiger Eye PI Chief Investigator on wednesday 16th January, 2019 at Madina Accra, Ghana (high profile murder).

Death threats on head of Joy News’s Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, after the release of “Militia in the Heart of the Nation” documentary, aired in the evening of Thursday, 7th March, 2019.

The beating of three Ghanaian Times Newspaper Journalists, who on their way for the day’s assignment were assaulted by ten police officers at Kinbu in Accra Central on Thursday March 14 (Mr. Malik Sullemana, a Court Reporter, Mrs Raissa Sambou, a General Reporter and Mr Salifu Abdul Rahman, an Assistant Editor).

The Founder and Leader of the Glorious Word Power Ministries, Reverend Owusu Bempah on March 15, stormed the studio of Accra based Radio XYZ with gun wielding men to assault one Mugabe Maase but meet his absence and ended up intimidating staff of the company and threatened to kill Mogabi and close down the station. Reports available indicates that, some mobile phones belonging to staff of the said media organization were damaged and or taken away.

About six Fire Service Officers at Nkoranza in the Bono East Region on April 1, 2019 stormed Dero FM, a local radio station and physically assaulted seven staff of the station. The personnel were alleged to have vandalized studio equipment including microphones and consul.

Latest International Press Freedom Organization ranking has seen Ghana lose its first position as Africa’s highest ranked country on the Press Freedom Index, within just a year.

The Reporters Without Borders or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) dropped Ghana from 23rd to 27th place out of 180 countries in the 2019.
Amazingly, nothing or very little has been done to curb the menace.

As we celebrate Press Freedom today, UPDN hereby call on the CID boss to expedite investigation into the cold murder of Ahmed Suale and bring perpetrators to book. Unravel the lawless Police officials, who assaulted Latif Iddrisu at the Police headquarters on Tuesday 27th March, 2018.

RTI LAW

UPDN congratulates the government of the day, Parliament and the country at large for the passage of the Right to information bill into law which is currently awaiting Presidential assent or approval.

We believe this will go a long way to improve transparency and accountability and our democratic values.