#OccupyJulorbiHose: Ghana police arrested journalists from BBC, AFP – GJA

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has said contrary to the Ghana Police’s claims, journalists from foreign media organisations were actually arrested during the #OccupyJulorbiHouse protest.

A statement signed by the GJA’s general secretary Kofi Yeboah said journalists from the BBC, AFP and AP were detained by the police despite identifying themselves.

“Our investigations indicated that some journalists, including correspondents of foreign media organisations such as the BBC, AFP and AP, were arrested in spite of the fact that they properly identified themselves,” a section of the statement said, as reproduced by Starrfm.com.gh.

The #OccupyJulorbiHouse kickstarted on Thursday, September 21, 2023, to coincide with the commemoration of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, which was a national holiday.

The protest, which is set to continue on Friday and Saturday, is geared towards campaigning against corruption, economic hardship and demanding accountability from politicians.

However, the protesters were stopped from demonstrating on Thursday by the Police, with many of them also getting arrested in the process before later being arrested.

Reports also emerged that some journalists covering the protest were detained, although the Police later refuted the claim.

Reacting to this in the statement, the GJA said its own investigations suggest that indeed some journalists were arrested by the Police.

The journalists’ welfare body further condemned the actions of the police, describing it as unprofessional and unwarranted.

“In our estimation, the conduct of the Police was highly unprofessional, absolutely unwarranted and inherently repugnant to press freedom and the dignity of the affected journalists.

“The GJA is utterly disappointed in the Police for lowering the bar of professionalism by arresting and maltreating journalists who did not breach any law but rather breached their comfort on a national hallowed day (Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day) to discharge their cardinal duty of informing the general public about happenings in the country,” the statement added.

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