(WAJA/IFEX) – During the early hours of Monday 2 October 2000, unidentified persons smeared human waste on the entrance of the offices of an independent Accra bi-weekly, “The Crusading Guide”. According to the newspaper’s editor, Kweku Baako, Jr., he arrived at his office at around 6:00 a.m. (local time) to find a pungent smell and […]
(WAJA/IFEX) – During the early hours of Monday 2 October 2000, unidentified persons smeared human waste on the entrance of the offices of an independent Accra bi-weekly, “The Crusading Guide”.
According to the newspaper’s editor, Kweku Baako, Jr., he arrived at his office at around 6:00 a.m. (local time) to find a pungent smell and human waste smeared all over “The Crusading Guide”‘s office’s front door.
The action, which has been described by the local press as “shit bombing”, has been condemned by a large section of Ghanaian society, including the ruling party, the National Democratic Congress and opposition parties, as well as the Ghana Journalists Association, The National Media Comission and the Private Newspapers Publishers Association of Ghana.
The culprits behind this action have yet to be arrested. This is the third time under the present regime that human waste has been smeared at offices of the private press as an intimidation tactic. Both the “Ghanaian Chronicle” and “The Free Press” have been subjected to the same treatment.
“The Crusading Guide”, which was established two years ago, has been championing human rights and is reputed for its investigative and crusading journalism.
On 19 September, a senior reporter of the paper, Sedi Bansah, was arrested by the military, on the orders of Ghana’s deputy minister of defence, when he tried to cross-check a story he was investigating with the minister (see IFEX alert of 21 September 2000).
