Human rights workshop for Journalists ends

Cape Coast, Jan. 19, GNA - The Central Regional director of Amnesty International, Mr Prize McApreko on Friday stated that government's accountability to the people was an important element in ensuring human rights in the country.

He said holding government accountable encourages people in government to stay awake and alert to their responsibilities. Mr McApreko said this at the end of a two-day workshop on human rights reporting held for the media and human rights activists in Cape Coast.

The workshop, which was organized by Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) aimed at introducing the skills of human right reporting, as well as teaching the importance of human rights reporting and its benefits to the nation.

He cautioned against corruption in forms, whether among state officials or the masses, adding that it breeds injustice and reverse social progress. "Corruption is a delicate issue that needs to be handled with due diligence and care," he added. Mr McApreko said police brutality appears to have been so pervasive that it might be seen as the norm rather than an exemption, and that the police tended to be one unique institution that wield the prerogative of monopoly in the use of "legitimate force, minimal force, or reasonable force".

Mr Emmanuel Aggrey, Central Regional Principal Investigator for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), pointed out that human rights were not only supported in domestic and international laws, but essential to the continued development of the country. Mr Aggrey said increasing coverage in the media about human rights would ensure that people are better informed about their rights and the rights of others.