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Gov’t condemns alleged death threats on Manasseh Azure

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The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said that the government is not aware of the journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni’s recent travel outside the country was due to safety reasons.

He said the government had provided adequate protection for the journalist in the country when he initially complained about threats on his life over his recent video documentary titled “Militia at the Heart of the Nation.”

In an interview an Accra Based radio, ‘Asempa FM,’ the Minister said government is committed at ensuring the safety and protection of journalists.

Media reports suggested that Mr. Azure Awuni left the country following reactions to his documentary and threats on his life.

The conversations were based on statements made by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Professor Kwame Karikari, who said in an address during the 2019 World Press Freedom Day in held at the Ghana International Press Center, (GIPC) in Accra, Ghana that Manasseh spent most part of March and April this year running and hiding from unknown identities.

Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah in his response said Mr. Awuni never made mention of that when he met him two weeks ago in Accra.

He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is not anti-media freedom as claimed by critics of the Akufo-Addo led- administration.

According to the Minister government intends to improve the safety of journalists in the country by introducing a coordinating mechanism on the safety of journalists by July 2019.

Reporters Without Borders in its recent World Press Freedom Index saw Ghana lose its spot as the best-ranked countries for press freedom in Africa. It moved to 2nd after being overtaken by Namibia.

The drop was attributed mainly to the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale earlier in 2019.

Globally, the country dropped from 23 in 2018 to 27 in 2019.

The celebration of the 2019 World Press Freedom Day was held in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on the theme, “Media for Democracy, Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation.”

 

 

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