GJA to challenge Electronic Communications Act at Supreme Court over journalist arrests

The Ghana Journalists Association says it will ask the Supreme Court to intervene in what it considers a dangerous use of the Electronic Communications Act against journalists.

Its planned legal action is aimed at challenging the growing reliance on the law by security agencies to arrest or intimidate media practitioners, especially in cases framed as “false communication.”

For the Association, this is no longer just a legal concern but a press freedom issue.

GJA President Albert Dwumfour, speaking at an engagement between journalists and National Security personnel, said the trend effectively punishes journalists through criminal processes for matters that should belong in the civil arena.

He warned that this amounts to a quiet return to repression by another name, despite Ghana’s earlier repeal of criminal libel laws.

In the Association’s view, the law was not enacted to police journalists in the performance of their duties. Yet provisions such as Section 76, it argues, are increasingly being invoked in ways that expose reporters to arrest and harassment over alleged false publications.

Dwumfour said that practice threatens constitutional guarantees and could weaken the democratic role of the media.

The GJA therefore wants the apex court to clarify whether the law can legitimately be used in this manner against journalists.

Its position is that if this pattern continues unchecked, it may discourage investigative reporting and make journalists more cautious about scrutinising public officials and state institutions.

What the Association is now seeking is not only legal interpretation, but a firm judicial boundary on how far the state can go in using criminal law against the press.