The Accra High Court has ordered three State entities to apologise to ModernGhana.com news site editor Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri for violating his human rights.
The Human Rights Division Court 2 approved the conditions submitted by the parties in the matter.
In a ruling published by myjoyonline.com, Justice Nicholas Abodakpi, the presiding judge, said that the settlement's terms had been accepted by the court.
The National Security Coordinator, Inspector General of Police, and Attorney General were named as respondents in Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri's lawsuit against them in July 2019 for violating his human rights.
Within 14 days after the conditions of the judgment's adoption, the court ordered that the respondents apologise to the petitioner and have that apology published in the Daily Graphic.
The respondents must also pay the applicant's legal expenses, compensation, and the cost of three electronic devices that were confiscated from him or her: a laptop, two phones, and a tablet.
Torture, confinement, and arrest
At their offices on June 27, 2019, Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and his reporter Emmanuel Britwum were detained by armed National Security agents.
The cops quickly bundled them into a black vehicle, placed black plastic bags over their heads, and drove off.
Their mobile phones and computers were taken away, and they were questioned at National Security headquarters.
Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, the Editor of the online news portal, Modernghana.com, subsequently informed the media he was exposed to electric shock and other types of torture whiles in custody.
The two pieces the website published about National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah were the subject of the investigation.
The Secretariat of the National Security Council denied torturing the journalist.
The Ministry stated the journalists were taken up for allegedly indulging in cybercrimes.
On July 5, 2019, state prosecutors filed cybercrime charges against Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and two other journalists, Obeng Manu Editor of Peace FM and Emmanuel Britwum Reporter of ModernGhana.com, for allegedly gaining unauthorised access to a Peace FM email account.
On the first day the journalists appeared in court, the Accra High Court compelled the state to withdraw the allegations. After pointing out mistakes and rejecting appeals from Senior State Attorney Stella Ohene Appiah because what the state asked the court to do lacked legal support, Judge Afia Asare Botwe made this decision.
The criminal prosecution, according to the defence attorneys for the accused, lead by Samson Lardy Anyenini, was an attempt to save face and was doomed from the start.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0