A crew of reporters from TV Africa, an independent television station based inAccra was arrested and detained for about two hours by security personnel at the private home of the President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor. The reporters say they were verbally abused and one of them had her identity card removed clumsily and prevented from calling the office. Soyokuor Quarcoo-Tchire, a reporter, Mark Ntim, a cameraman and Samuel Nii Laryea, a soundman, were arrested while taking a film of an uncompleted hotel building near the President’s house.

The circumstances of the acquisition of the hotel building by Chief John Addo Kufuor, the first son of the Ghanaian President, had been a matter of major national controversy. As a result of the national controversy and demands for an enquiry, the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), an independent constitutional body, has initiated an investigation regarding the circumstances under which the building was purchased, and to find out if the President himself has an interest in the transaction.Following an address to the press by CHRAJ chairperson on the investigation, the crew decided to take footage of the hotel building for their news.

The crew was arrested during this news coverage. According to Quarcoo-Tchire, the security personnel refused to allow her to call the TV Africa office. Meanwhile the Inspector General of Police of Ghana, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, has expressed his apologies to the journalists and the TV Africa Company about the incident. “The Police Administration concedes that an unfortunate situation arose because there was misinterpretation of motives of both sides. We are not perfect, sometimes we make regrettable mistakes and this is one of them”, he said.

Evans Mensah, a reporter of Joy FM, an independent radio station in Accra heckled by a group of demonstrators while covering a protest march in the city.

The journalist, who was whisked away by the police to prevent further beating, was still attacked even in the police vehicle by the demonstrators. Mensah, who had gone to cover a protest march against fuel price hike in the country, received a call from Akwasi Sarpong, a producer at the radio station, to comment on the demonstration.

While informing the producer that a good number of the prominent personalities had already left the rally grounds, some of the demonstrators who were within hearing distances screamed out to other demonstrators that Mensah was giving false reports. Mensah was immediately surrounded by some of the protestors who attacked him from all angles until the timely intervention of a fellow reporter who pulled him to the police. Confirming the report, Anas Aremeyaw Anas of the Crusading Guide newspaper, who rescued Mensah from the scene said one of the attackers used wires to whip the reporter.

Journalists from both the state-owned and private media were prevented by an Accra Circuit Court from covering a case involving Alhaji Said Sinare, a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). According to a reporter of the state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper, the presiding judge, Wilhelmina Hammond instructed all journalists in court to stand and identify themselves. She then allegedly asked the “warrant officer” to take down their names.” According to the Daily Graphic report, the judge claimed that, “it was an offence for the journalists to sit in court and listen to proceedings to write a story without applying to the court registrar for authorization.” She did not cite the specific legal provision which allegedly requires journalists to seek authorisation from the court registrar before reporting on a case. Alhaji Said Sinare, a former NDC Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso Central Constituency, is standing trial along with an electoral officer, Stanley Nii Armah, for alleged electoral malpractices.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the decision of the judge to prevent the journalists covering the proceedings of an open trial. A public, transparent, judicial process is a necessary requirement of any fair trial.