General News of Friday, 4 May 2018Source: Graphic.com.ghAccra Declaration: Fight crimes against journalists as world marks World Press Freedom DayDr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Minister of Information, handing over a ‘gong-gong’ to Mr Getachew EngiThis year’s celebration of World Press Freedom Day ended in Accra on Thursday with a charge to all countries to put in place robust legal regimes and policy frameworks to promote press freedom and fight crimes against journalists. In what has come to be known as the Accra Declaration, the 900 participants, drawn from 200 organisations across 90 countries, called for an independent media that would not be subjected to any form of influence by government. Among other things, the Accra Declaration underscored the need for countries to review cases of journalists who were in prison for their work, with a view to releasing anyone whose prosecution was not constitutional and inconsistent with international standards. It further charged owners of media organisations to put in place safety mechanisms at their workplaces and provide journalists with safety tools to reduce their vulnerability in the line of duty. To symbolise the official closure of the two-day event, Dr Abdul-Hamid handed over a ‘gong-gong’ to the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Engida.

Source: GhanaWeb May 04, 2018 09:00 UTC