Anas Aremeyaw Anas (Photo by Ghana Soccer Net)
Reporters Without Borders have condemned death threats against a famous Ghanian investigative reporter who uses the pseudonym of Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The Reporters have therefore called on the authorities to conduct an enquiry and punish those responsible.
What with threatening calls, intimidatory messages and suspicious vehicles near his home, Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s existence has become a living hell ever since his latest documentary, which exposes corruption in Ghanaian football.
It was President Nana Akufo-Addo who revealed the subject of Anas’s latest exposé. After being allowed to view extracts on right-of-reply grounds.
Akufo-Addo then orderedthe arrest of the Ghana football association’s president Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was subsequently released on bail. The documentary is titled “Number 12
The threats include that by leading politicians. Speaking live on Adom FM on 4 June, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a member of parliament named in the documentary, called Anas “a blackmailer, an extortionist” and said he should be “hanged.” He previously announced on Adom TV on 29 May that he was “going to stop him in what he is doing.”
“It is incomprehensible that deaths threats against a journalist renowned for his professionalism are being received with widespread indifference,” said Arnaud Froger, the head of RSF’s Africa desk.
“The government should not tolerate such comments by a ruling party MP. Such threats must be taken seriously and systematically condemned, and an investigation must be carried out in order to punish those responsible.”
“The police must act proactively and not reactively, they shouldn't wait until something bad happens to him,” Ghana Journalists Association president Affail Monney told RSF.
A close associate of Anas has already been the target of threats that are not just verbal. On 31 May, gunmen tried to enter the home of Saddick Adams, a sports journalist who worked with Anas on the documentary.
Anas’s real identity is unknown. His face is always masked when he appears in public.
His 2015 undercover documentary on corruption in the judiciary had a big impact and led to the suspension of 34 judges shown taking bribes.
Ghana is ranked 23rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index, African’s highest ranking.
Courtesy of AIPS News