Geoffrey Buta, a photographer of the state-owned newspaper The Ghanaian Times was on March 10, 2014 assaulted by a military man in Tamale, in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Buta had attended a press conference organised by the Police to brief journalists about some clashes that took place between some youth believed to be from the ruling National Democratic Congress and the main opposition party, New Patriotic Party. While at the press conference, he noticed a confrontation between some military personnel and youth nearby and decided to go and take pictures.
A member of the military personnel who was only identified as Boam without any warning charged on Buta, assaulted him, destroyed his camera and seized his Samsung Tab.
“He just walked straight to me and started demanding my camera. So while I tried to resist, he hit my hands with a stick. My camera lens got destroyed in the process and then he took the camera”, Buta told MFWA.
According to Buta, one Lieutenant Tamakloe who was leading the military personnel assured him to get his Samsung tab back but could not make any assurances about his camera that had been destroyed by Boam.
The MFWA strongly condemns this attack and demands that the Military High Command takes appropriate action against Boam and caution their men to refrain from attacking journalists when they are discharging their professional duties.
For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84
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