STATEMENT ON THE IMPRISONMENT OF LARRY DOGBEY

Accra, Ghana – June 25, 2026

The Whistleblowers, Activists, and Journalists Safety International Center

(WAJSIC) condemns in the strongest terms the imprisonment of The

Herald publisher Larry Dogbey for contempt of court. We state

unequivocally that journalism is not a crime and journalists are not

criminals. Mr. Dogbey was jailed for reporting on a petition formally

submitted to state investigative bodies, yet reporting on official documents

is the fundamental duty of the press in any democracy. Jailing a journalist

for doing exactly that is a dangerous assault on media freedom and

democratic accountability.

This ruling sets a chilling precedent. Gag orders that silence the press

serve only to protect the powerful while denying citizens their right to

information, and we note with grave concern that the court’s full reasoning

is yet to be made public, making this ruling even more troubling. WAJSIC

therefore calls on the Judiciary to reverse course and uphold press

freedom as a cornerstone of democracy, on the Ghana Journalists

Association to take robust action in defense of its members, on the

Government to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom, on Civil Society

to rally against judicial overreach, and on all Ghanaians to recognize that

attacking journalists attacks every citizen’s right to truth.

We stand with Larry Dogbey, we stand with every journalist who dares to

speak truth to power, and we insist that truth-tellers must be protected, not

punished.

Issued by:

Anas Aremeyaw Anas

Chairman