Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) president, Albert Dwumfuor, has appealed to President John Mahama to compensate journalist Latif Iddrisu, who has suffered two separate assaults while on duty.
Latif sustained life-threatening head injuries in 2018 after he was brutally assaulted by some police personnel at the CID headquarters.
More recently, he was attacked by supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the premises of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
According to the GJA, the assaults have left Latif undergoing prolonged treatment and therapy in California, USA. Despite occasional attempts to return to frontline reporting, he continues to struggle with severe pain and trauma.
Mr. Dwumfuor revealed that after a recent meeting with Latif, where he received a detailed briefing on his ongoing treatment and the protracted court case, the Association resolved to push for compensation.
“We want to appeal to you to compensate journalists who have suffered injuries in the line of duty. We have Mr. Latif Iddrisu who has been assaulted twice—first by the police, and then by thugs of the NPP,” Mr. Dwumfuor emphasised.
He commended President Mahama for his intervention following the recent assault at EOCO, which led to the arrest and prosecution of one of the perpetrators.
The GJA president also mentioned other journalists, including JoyNews’ Erastus Asare Donkor and Ohemeng Tawiah, as deserving of compensation for attacks suffered in the line of duty.
Beyond individual cases, Mr. Dwumfuor renewed his call for stronger legislation to protect journalists, arguing that existing laws are too weak to deter attacks on the media.
In response, President Mahama congratulated the newly elected GJA executives and recalled his early days as a young journalist at the GBC newsroom.
He reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring media independence and the safety of journalists, pledging to revive the Media Development Fund and work with the press to restore Ghana’s reputation as a model of press freedom.
Mahama expressed concern about Ghana’s decline in the World Press Freedom Index and stressed the importance of reversing the trend through concrete interventions.
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
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