The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, has assured journalists that the state will compensate any media practitioner who suffers harm while performing their professional duties, stressing that the protection of journalists is a constitutional responsibility.
Dr. Srem-Sai gave the assurance while speaking at the third Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Dinner Night held at the Ghana International Press Centre on Monday, December 23, 2025. He said the commitment forms part of broader efforts to safeguard press freedom and strengthen democratic governance.
According to him, the Constitution places a clear obligation on the state not only to refrain from harming journalists but also to actively protect them from attacks and ensure accountability when violations occur.
He outlined the government’s fourfold commitment to journalist safety: protecting journalists from harm, preventing third parties from attacking them, prosecuting offenders, and compensating journalists who are injured in the line of duty.
“The first undertaking is that we will not hurt any journalist. The second is that we will not allow anyone to hurt any journalist. The third is that we will punish any person who hurts a journalist. And the final one is that we will compensate any journalist who has been hurt,” Dr. Srem-Sai stated.
He described journalist safety as fundamental to constitutional governance, noting that the media’s role is inseparable from the protection of democracy and the public interest. He added that the Office of the Attorney General, as the principal defender of the Constitution, bears a direct responsibility to ensure journalists can work without fear, intimidation, or violence.
“There is no way we can say we are successful in the performance of that duty when journalists are being harmed in any situation,” he said.
Dr. Srem-Sai further warned that any attack on a journalist should be regarded as an attack on the Constitution itself, assuring media practitioners that the government would neither ignore nor downplay acts of violence or intimidation against them.
