A journalist from the Daily Express newspaper, Fred Sarpong has been arrested and detained for taking pictures of a policeman who was allegedly receiving a GH¢ 5 bribe from a bus driver.
The incident occurred at Tesano in Accra in the afternoon of September 5, 2016.
Raphael Apetorgbor, Sarpong’s colleague who witnessed the incident, said they saw a bus driver in a pleading posture before a motor traffic policeman. According to Apetorgbor, due to public perception that such encounters between drivers and policemen often result in the policemen taking a bribe, Sarpong got his camera ready to take a picture in case that happens. He was however unlucky as other police officers at the scene, noticed him trying to take a picture.
The police officers reportedly assaulted Sarpong and whisked him to the Tesano police station in Accra where he was detained for hours and later released after the incident was widely publicised.
The MFWA condemns the wanton attack and arbitrary detention of Fred Sarpong by the police officers. We call on the police authorities to sanction the officers involved in the abuse of the rights of the journalist.
