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Ghana's supreme court suspends new media law

Xinhua, April 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ghana's Supreme Court has suspended the enforcement of a new media law, which requires media owners to acquire approval before publishing content, pending its final ruling over the law, local media reported on Monday.

The new law had been enforced by the National Media Commission (NMC), while the case was brought by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) in January.

A statement issued earlier by NMC chairman, Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, hoped that the court would give its judgment before campaigns for November's general elections started.

The new NMC Content Standards Regulations 2015, which came into force on Dec. 9 last year, requires media owners to submit content for approval before publication and follow a set of rules stipulated by the NMC.

Violators of the law would face a fine or two to five years in prison.

The GIBA wants some articles of the new law to be scrapped, saying they are inconsistent with the constitution which guarantees media freedom.

The association says its members are likely to face "imprisonment" under the new law. Endit