Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has raised concerns over what he describes as a troubling pattern of National Security interference in press freedom.
According to him, the National Security seems to be gaining some notoriety when it comes to press freedom and freedom of expression, which is deeply worrying.
Speaking to Joy News on the morning of 13th August, Sulemana Braimah alleged that the National Security, led by its Director of Special Operations, Richard Dzakpa, recently disrupted a scheduled interview between journalists from The Fourth Estate and the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea.
He explained that upon the journalists’ arrival for the interview, Dr. Akoriyea called in National Security, who then questioned the reporters about their intended questions and the subject of the interview.
They were further told that if answers could not be obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) process, the interview should be aborted.
“This was an interview of a public interest matter that we feel he has some questions to respond to,” Mr Braimah stressed. “I am wondering where we are heading to if all of a sudden National Security is interested in stories that journalists are doing, interested in what interviews public officials are granting. This is quite bizarre.”
He warned Richard Dzakpa of potential abuse of power, warning that such actions threaten Ghana’s press freedom record.
“In history, even under certain military regimes, they could not silence journalists,” he said.
Mr Braimah vowed that the MFWA and its partners will not relent. “We will continue to do what we have to do, and I believe that President Mahama, being someone who has been within the media fraternity for long, will not look on for these people to destroy the press freedom credentials of our country under his leadership.”
