GJA declares media blackout on Hawa Koomson over assault on journalist

GJA declares media blackout on Hawa Koomson over assault on journalist

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has declared a media blackout on the Minister for Fisheries and Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya East Constituency, Mavis Hawa Koomson, following an assault on David Kobbina, a journalist from Cape FM in the Central Region, by thugs believed to be associated with her.

The unfortunate attack on the journalist occurred on January 4, 2024, sparking widespread condemnation. The attackers accused the victim of insulting Hawa Koomson on a TV Show, a claim the victim denied, clarifying he worked as a morning show host of a radio station. He even produced his ID card to back his case, but the assailants went ahead and pounced on him in the presence of a police officer who was the first to have accosted the victim.

After the incident, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, called on the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to which Hawa Koomson belongs, to promptly initiate an investigation and impose sanctions on those responsible for attacking the journalist. Furthermore, he appealed to the Ghana Police Service to swiftly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. He emphasized the need for the police officer who summoned Kobbina before the assault to face disciplinary action for unprofessional conduct, adding that preliminary investigations conducted by the GJA have substantiated the incident.

This is the height of impunity, and we can no longer tolerate the same. We hereby serve notice that if by the close of Friday, January 12, 2024, these demands (sanctions) have not been met, we shall advise ourselves accordingly, the GJA president had said in reaction to the assault.

However, at a press conference addressed by the leadership of the GJA in partnership with international stakeholders and attended by senior journalists on Thursday, January 25, GJA president Albert Kwabena Dwumfour declared a total media blackout on Hawa Koomson. According to the GJA, both the police and the NPP have failed to take any action since the assault on the journalist, hence the association was compelled to use the power at its disposal to ensure the safety of its members. It added that the minister and lawmaker have dangerous and unreasonable people around her who are a threat to journalists, hence the need to stay away from her.

GJA entreated all journalists and media houses across the country to rally behind the declaration to achieve its intended purpose for the collective interest of the media fraternity. It added that the blackout might be reviewed if clear-cut actions are seen taken against the perpetrators of the condemnable assault on David Kobbina. It went on further to urge journalists to make their safety a priority in the forthcoming NPP parliamentary primary elections and exercise the highest sense of professionalism.

Meanwhile, Hawa Koomson refuted claims of her involvement in the assault on the innocent journalist. She described reports linking the incident to her as false and a deliberate attempt by her opponents to hurt her integrity to score political points.