Ghanaian authorities must ensure safety and protection of journalists from harassment by security personnel in the discharge of their duties.

On August 12 2020, in Accra, the nation’s capital, two TV3 reporters – Stanley Nii Blewu and Joseph Armstrong were attacked by military personnel identified as Frimpong while they were covering a sanitation exercise in the area.

After the reporters had interviewed people at the sanitation site in Accra, they approached Tema Lorry police station to do a filming, but were approached by a group of police officers who stopped them and demanded that they delete footage from their devices, but the  journalists declined, this led to an immediate attack on them by the soldier.

AMDF gathered that Armstrong managed to escape the scene of the attack after the soldier seized their mobile phones and camera and continued to kick Blewu in the abdomen.

Joseph Armstrong told AMDF that they were informed that the matter had been investigated and the officer involved “punished accordingly”.

AMDF is calling on authorities to ensure the safety of journalists who are constantly in the line of duty even as the general elections approach; especially as trends show an increase in media attacks at election periods.

Stanley Nii Blewu won the award for Best Investigative Reporter at the Ghana Journslist Association Awards in 2017.