**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 […]
**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 to injure the reputation of the
state” and were ordered to report to authorities the following
day. When Thompson and Quarcoo returned as directed, they were
told to go home and warned that they would be “invited” back if
anything needed to be clarified.
The charge against the pair arose from a 10 April front-page
article in “The Free Press” alleging that President Jerry
Rawlings had impregnated Lapaix Grunitzky, daughter of former
Togolese head of state Nicholas Yao Grunitzky. The report was
culled from an article in the 14-27 March issue of the New
York-based bi-weekly newspaper “African Observer” that claimed
that Grunitzky was resisting pressure from Rawlings to abort the
pregnancy.
In a reference to outstanding criminal libel charges that
Thompson and Quarcoo currently face in Ghana’s Supreme Court,
“The Free Press” preceded the article with a preface stating: “We
are publishing (this) story without malice, contempt or prejudice
to let Ghanaians know what they are saying about their President
elsewhere.”
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
Tommy Thompson
charged, contravenes the right to free expression, guaranteed by
Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights and the 1991 Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an
Independent and Pluralistic African Press, all to which Ghana is
a signatory
assurance that the independent press in Ghana may work freely
Appeals To
His Excellency Jerry Rawlings
President of the Republic of Ghana
The Castle
P.O. Box 1627
Accra,Ghana
Fax: +233 21 664 089
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
