The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) is calling for a thorough investigation into a series of death threats made against Chief Executive Officer Gina Ama Blay of The Daily Guide and representative of the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana on the WAN board.

On 2 July and 10 July, Ms Blay received a number of threatening text messages and telephone calls from an alleged soldier of the Ghana Armed Forces. In the most recent message the perpetrator told Ms Blay that her son was followed and that “he will not be lucky next time.” Ms Blay has informed the police about the message; however, she fears that her and her son’s life is still in danger.

“Such incidents foster a climate of fear that inhibits journalistic investigation and can promote self-censorship,” said WAN in a letter to the Minister of The Interior, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor.