The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has issued a strong warning to the Chief of Army Staff, demanding swift action against soldiers implicated in the recent assault of a JoyNews reporter.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, July 31, the GJA President cautioned that the military’s credibility was on the line and threatened public exposure of the individuals involved if immediate steps were not taken to identify and sanction them.
“The military should understand that failure on their part to expose and sanction the perpetrators of this crime will have damning consequences, and we will embarrass them. If the military fails to expose the members, the Chief of Army Staff, we are not just serving notice. We are not threatened.
“We have done our work and we are prepared. If you fail to do so, we shall embarrass you. We will come out boldly and expose your men,” Dwumfour stated.
The warning follows disturbing revelations by JoyNews journalist Carlos Carlony, who reported that he was assaulted and forcefully detained by National Security operatives while covering a demolition exercise at a warehouse reportedly owned by businessman Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan.
According to Carlony, the military personnel questioned why he and his team were filming the event. Despite identifying themselves as journalists, one officer allegedly attacked him from behind just as he was preparing to go live on air.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has since confirmed the commencement of an internal investigation into what it described as the “inappropriate conduct” of its personnel during the incident.
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