(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 2 April 2002 letter to President John Kufuor, CPJ expressed its alarm over the fact that his government has imposed controls on reporting about recent interclan clashes in the northern Dagbon area of Ghana. On 30 March, Minister of Information Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey stated that unless journalists are writing about an official […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 2 April 2002 letter to President John Kufuor, CPJ expressed its alarm over the fact that his government has imposed controls on reporting about recent interclan clashes in the northern Dagbon area of Ghana.
On 30 March, Minister of Information Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey stated that unless journalists are writing about an official press release, they are required to clear stories on the conflict in Dagbon with the ministry.
On 27 March, President Kufuor declared a state of emergency after a local tribal king and several of his supporters were killed during feuding between rival clans. Under the 1994 Emergency Powers Act, the government may censor any news from or about an area affected by a state of emergency.
Local journalists fear the government will use the state of emergency to censor critical or unfavorable reporting. CPJ noted that such a move would belie the advances Ghana has made toward a more open press since President Kufuor’s January 2001 inauguration.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– noting that the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information is guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and journalists must be free to report on matters of clear public interest, including civil conflicts such as the one in Dagbon
– calling on him to do everything within his power to ensure that the Ghanaian media can cover these and other stories without government interference
Appeals To
His Excellency President John Kufuor
The Castle
P.O. Box 1627
Accra, Ghana
Fax: +233 21 664 089
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
