Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Ghana

Criminal libel law repealed

    ABIDJAN

    Ghana’s parliament voted unanimously on Friday to repeal the country’s criminal libel law which had been used in the past to prosecute media professionals, ‘Joy-FM’ radio reported. The abolition of the law fulfils a campaign promise by President John Kufuor during the December presidential elections. The first deputy speaker of parliament, Freddy Blay, said after Friday’s vote that the absence of the law was not a license for journalists to publish falsehoods, the radio reported. The government had announced in January that it would not use the law, pending its deletion from Ghana’s criminal code.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join