Ghana court ruling threatens press freedom – editors group

The West Africa Editors Society (WAES) has warned that a ruling by a Ghanaian court on Monday poses a serious threat to press freedom and could have a chilling effect on investigative journalism in the country.

In a statement issued on Monday, WAES said it was gravely concerned by a decision of the Human Rights Court two in Accra, where justice Nana Brew ruled against investigative journalist Innocent Samuel Appiah in a case brought by businesswoman Cynthia Adjei.

Adjei had sued Appiah following an investigation into her business dealings, including questions around business registration, tax compliance and access to government land, issues WAES says are clearly matters of public interest.

However, the court sided with Adjei, citing concerns over her right to privacy and suggesting that Appiah should have reported his findings to state investigative agencies such as the Criminal Investigation Department and the Economic and Organised Crime Office, instead of publishing them.

WAES said the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that risks silencing journalists and reducing them to informants for law enforcement agencies.

“Journalism is a public good and journalists must be free to report on matters of public interest without fear of reprisal or the use of the courts to intimidate and gag them,” the editors’ body said.

WAES interim president Emmanuel Dogbevi, who is also vice president of the African Editors Forum, criticised what he described as a growing trend of using the courts to block critical reporting.

“The growing trend of using frivolous lawsuits to stop media organisations and journalists from writing or publishing stories does not reflect well on a country like Ghana, which is often held up as a model of multiparty democracy,” Dogbevi said.

He urged Ghanaian journalists to remain steadfast in fulfilling their constitutional role of exposing wrongdoing, holding power to account and informing the public.

“History will be their best judge,” Dogbevi added.

WAES further argued that the case amounted to an attempt at censorship, particularly given Adjei’s links to a politically exposed person.

Her husband, the organisation noted, is a former public figure who has headed state enterprises that have conducted business with her company.

The editors’ body called on Ghana’s justice system to ensure that court decisions do not undermine press freedom, which it said is fundamental to democracy.

“The justice system should uphold constitutional guarantees that allow journalists to operate freely, without let or hindrance, provided they adhere to the law and ethical standards of the profession,” WAES said.

According to the organisation, rulings such as this send the wrong signal and threaten journalists’ ability to report in the public interest.

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