A female journalist, working for Metro TV Ghana was allegedly assaulted by six police officers at the Accra Regional Police head office on Thursday, during the #OccupyJulorBiHouse demonstration.
The journalist, Vanessa Boateng whose name has not been disclosed, was covering the events around the protest, which was organised by concerned citizens and activists to demand transparency and accountability from the government.
According to Bridget Otoo, a television host and a participant of the protest, the journalist was physically attacked by the police officers for filming the brutalities that were happening inside the police station.
“She was attacked inside just her. Her phone has been seized. They have beaten her inside; six police officers attacked her because she was filming the brutalities inside and her crime was that she filmed the brutality,” Otoo told GhanaWeb in an interview.
Otoo added that the confiscation of the phone by the police was to allow them to delete the footage that the journalist had recorded for her network.
“Now they have taken her phone because they want to take the content that she had recorded for her network from the police service,” Otoo said.
According to the reports, the protest was not expect to take place today as the Service had earlier obtained a court injunction to prevent the protest from taking place within the vicinity of Jubilee House, citing security reasons.
However, the protestors allegedly defied the injunction and attempted to march towards Jubilee House, leading to mass arrests by Police.
The police said they arrested a total of 49 suspects in connection with unlawful assembly and violation of the Public Order Act. The suspects are currently in custody assisting in investigations.
Meanwhile, some social media users have condemned the police and government for arresting and assaulting the protestors who believe they are exercising their right to protest. Some have also called for the release of the journalist and other detainees.