Ghana

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On 27 July 1998, Mr. Ebenezer Ato Sam, suspended editor of the “Free Press”, was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to a jail term of 21days in default of a 5 million cedis (about US$2,000) fine. The sentence was handed down in an Accra High Court presided over […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – Three recently jailed Ghanaian journalists, Haruna Atta, Kweku Baako Jr., and Ebenezer Ato Sam, have been moved from the relatively better conditions at the Nsawam Medium Prisons to three different locations in the country which are notorious for their poor conditions. **Updates IFEX alerts of 30, 28 and 24 July** Kweku […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – Two journalists, Eben Quarcoo and Kofi Coomson, whose arrests were ordered by the court last week, have had their bail conditions rescinded and their passports deposited with the courts for fear that they would jump bail before their case is heard. **Updates IFEX alert of 28 July 1998** In a submission […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – It was reported on 24 July 1998 (see IFEX alert) that two journalists, Haruna Atta, editor of “The Weekend Statesman”, and Kweku Baako Jr., editor of “The Guide”, had been found guilty of contempt of court by the Court of Appeal. The contempt conviction was handed down for publishing libellous material […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On 23 July 1998, the Court of Appeal, by a 2 to 1 decision of Justices Sarpong and Essilfie-Bondzie, with Benin, J.A. dissenting, found two journalists, Haruna Atta, editor of “The Weekend Statesman”, and Kweku Baako Jr., of “The Guide”, guilty of contempt of court. The two have been sentenced to […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On 29 May 1998, Ghana’s immigration authorities invited Dee Roberts, a journalist of Liberian nationality, to their offices for questioning. This appears to be in connection with an earlier operation in which two other journalists, Bunmi Aborisade and Lewis Asubiojo, were picked up and released only after posting a bail bond […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – According to Free Expression Ghana, two Nigerian journalists, Bunmi Aborisade and Lewis Asubiojo, were picked up on 27 May 1998, by the Ghanaian Immigration Authorities, while another journalist, Diallo Teh, suspected to be of Guinean or Senegalese origin, was being sought. According to information made available to Free Expression Ghana, two […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On 12 March 1998, a popular radio program on Radio GAR was ordered cut in the middle of an interview with a Ghanaian tax consultant, Mr. Nartey, who was speaking very critically of the proposed implementation of a new Value Added Tax regime for Ghana. It is not immediately clear who […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On 19 January 1998, Kweku Baako Jr., editor of “The Guide”, a national weekly based in Accra, was called to the headquarters of the Police CID Flying Squad for questioning in connection with a letter printed in the 13-19 November 1997 issue of the newspaper. The letter, written by one Bayitsey […]

(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – Member of Parliament Franklin Aheto has sued Kweku Baako Jr., editor-in-chief of the newspaper “The Guide”, and Ian Mortey, a reporter for the paper, for publishing libelous statements against him in the 16-22 October 1997 edition of the “The Guide”. Aheto asked the Accra High Court to restrain Baako Jr., Mortey, […]

(WAJA/IFEX) – Kwesi Biney, a journalist with the “African Observer” news magazine, was charged, together with journalist Gordon George-Iroro, editor and publisher Steve Mallory, and Frank Awuah, the distributor of the “African Observer” in Ghana, with intentional libel. They were said to have acted together in September 1997 with a common purpose to publish, unlawfully, […]

(CPJ/IFEX)- On 1 October 1997, Kwesi Biney, a correspondent for the “African Observer”, received a call from the economic crime bureau of Accra police asking him to report to the Criminal Investigation Department the following day. Biney, who was accompanied to the meeting by “African Observer” circulation manager Frank Awuah, was informed that he was […]

Following the 9 August 1996 conviction of Cofie Ammuako-Annan, acting editor of the newspaper “The Ghanaian Chronicle”, for contempt of court, the high court judge ruled that no reporting of the proceedings would be allowed, either of the conviction of Ammuako-Annan or of the judgement in a murder trial that the paper had commented on. […]

**For background to other legal harassment of “The Free Press”, see IFEX alerts dated 23, 15 and 12 February 1996** On 17 April 1996, editor of the weekly “The Free Press”, Eben Quarcoo, and the newspaper’s publisher, Tommy Thompson, were arrested and released on 10 million cedis (US$ 6,700) bail each “for publishing falsehood likely […]

Two journalists from the weekly “The Free Press” were sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court on 21 February 1995. Kwabena Mensah- Bonsu, a columnist for the weekly, was sentenced to one month in prison. “Free Press” editor-in-chief Eben Quarcoo was sentenced to one day in jail and fined 100 000 cedis (equivalent to 550FF […]