ACCRA, October 17, 2024 (GJA) – THE Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) considers as devilish the assault of EIB Network court correspondent by sympathisers of Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
The unwarranted attack by the hooligans left Murtala Inusah, the EIB Netowrk Legal Affairs Correspondent, with cuts on his fingers and severe bodily pain.
The GJA is also informed that a police court warrant officer who went to the aid of the journalist was assaulted by the hooligans and we condemn same in no uncertain terms.
We call on the Ghana Police Service to immediately arrest the assailants and prosecute them, while urging the Judiciary to severely punish them when found guilty.
Murtala Inusah has reported the assault case at the Ministries Police Station, having submitted the requisite documents and we urge the police to act swiftly on the case.
The founder and leader of the Alive Chapel International, Bishop Salifu Amoako, and his wife, Mouha, were arraigned on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, in connection with an accident case at East Legon last Saturday involving their 16-year-old son that resulted in the death of two persons.
While covering the case at the Circuit Court in Accra, Murtala Inusah, an accredited member of the Judicial Press Corps, who was tagged in his accredited ID Card from the Judicial Service, was attacked by sympathisers of the suspects who were apparently not happy with the journalist filming the proceedings.
In the wake of the attack, Murtala Inusah lost his mobile phone and good health.
We consider the assault on the journalist and police officer performing their official duties as a devilish act and the hooligans must be severely dealt with according to law.
The GJA urges media practitioners not to be intimidated by such callous acts and continue to discharge their professional and constitutional mandate.
In fact, the media must give this case the biggest publicity it deserves and we must throng the court at the next schedule on October 30, 2024, to tell the story in honour of the people’s right to know.
We appeal to the Judicial Service and the Police to give maximum security to journalists who report from the courts, as they endeavour to render an invaluable service to the nation.
The GJA believes the sympathisers of Bishop Salifu Amoako are Christians, and in that belief, we advise them to resort to godly or spiritual means of addressing their concerns, not forgetting the scriptural injunction in 2 Corinthians 10:4 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal….”
We also urge them to look unto Jesus (the author and finisher of the Christian faith), who frowned on violence in the face of arrest and prosecution by rebuking Peter for cutting the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest, and commanded him to put his sword back into its sheath (John 18:10-11).
Meanwhile, the GJA admonishes the media to exercise maximum circumspection in the coverage of the case involving the family of Bishop Salifu Amoako, particularly the ethical demands surrounding their teenage son at the centre of the case.
In line with the GJA Code of Ethics 2017 and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), which defines a child as a person below the age of 18, the media must avoid disclosing the identity (by name or picture) of the teenage suspect or do anything that may affect his best interest as a child.
According to Article 19 of the GJA Code of Ethics, “A journalist protects the rights of minors, and in criminal and other cases, secures the consent of parents or gguardians before interviewing or photographing them”.
Section 2(1) of the Children’s Act provides: “The best interest of the child shall be paramount in any matter concerning a child”, while Section 2(2) also provides:
“The best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration of any court, person, institution or other body in any matter concerned with a child”.
The GJA takes this opportunity to urge members of the general public to exercise maximum restraint and tolerance, especially as we draw closer to Election 2024, in respect of the work of media practitioners.
We should bear in mind that the work of the media is mainly in the interest of the people of Ghana on whose behalf they discharge such mandate per the 1992 Constitution.
[SGD]
Kofi Yeboah
(General Secretary)
