I was never beaten, tortured – ModernGhana reporter contradicts editor

Emmanuel Ajarfor, ModernGhana editor claims to have been assaulted by National Security operatives

Online Journalist, Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum, has dismissed reports that he was assaulted by officials of the National Security following his arrest last week, ABC News can report.

The ModernGhana journalist was arrested together with his editor, Emmanuel Ajarfor, on Thursday, June 27.

Emmanuel Ajarfor, the ModernGhana editor, had claimed that the two had been beaten and tortured by operatives of the National Security Secretariat during their arrest. The National Security Secretariat was however quick to dismiss the allegation insisting no such thing happened. The secretariat said in a statement that the claims by Mr. Ajarfor were part of a ploy to court public sympathy and discredit investigations into acts of cybercrime against himself and his colleague.

The Secretariat further challenged the two to undergo a medical examination to “present the truth in the matter.”

Sources reveal to ABC News however that the medical report suggests Mr. Ajarfor and his colleague may have endured mosquito bites and not torture as had earlier been alleged.

Moments later, one of the two ModernGhana journalists, Emmanuel Britwum is contradicting his colleague’s claims of torture by the national security.

His comments, released through his lawyer, appears to corroborate the claims by the National Security Secretariat.

Portions of the statement copied to ABC News read, “Mr. Britwum wishes to make it known to the public and colleague journalist that he was neither tortured nor brutalised during his arrest and subsequent detention by the National Security Operatives on Thursday, June 27, 2019”.

Lawyer for the reporter, Debora Ameyaw-Debrah in the statement adds further that, “for the avoidance of doubt my client wishes to state categorically that he neither witnessed Mr. Ajafor being tortured and brutalized nor did he elect anyone to speak publicly on his behalf on the matter in issue. He wishes to dissociate himself entirely from allegations of misconduct being levelled on his name against the National Security Operatives over the aforementioned issue in the media”.

The lawyer for Mr. Britwum says her client is happy to fully co-operate with the Police and other security agencies in the ongoing investigations.

Read below the full statement