The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has strongly opposed a district court’s decision to shut down Esewani Community Radio and two information centers, describing the ruling as flawed and a threat to press freedom.
“We also disagree with the district court because it ordered a 10-day closure of the community radio station and the two information centres and at the same time directed the EPA to assess their permissible noise level. The question is: how will the EPA assess their noise level when they are not in operation?” the GJA stated.
The association argued that the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence proving that the noise levels exceeded the permissible regulatory threshold, yet the court proceeded with the injunction.
“Indeed, we believe the court did not carefully consider the grounds for the interim injunction before granting same. In that conviction, we have urged the management of the community radio station to take legal steps to quash the interim injunction.”
The GJA also expressed concern over an alleged recording of one of the plaintiffs threatening to lobby the Minister of Communication to revoke the radio station’s license, even if the injunction is overturned.
“We believe that, in an adversarial justice system like we have in Ghana, and considering the parties in the matter, the court should have put the defendants on notice in the worst-case scenario. The GJA does not see the urgency in this case that leads to the granting of the Interim Injunction.”
Citing Article 162 (3) of Ghana’s Constitution, the GJA reaffirmed its stance that no legal restrictions should hinder media establishments from operating freely.
“The guarantee of freedom for the media is one of the cornerstones of the Republican Constitution and that any attempt to deny such a fundamental freedom should be a source of worry to every democracy-loving citizen.”
