Thread by @CPJAfrica

In #Ghana, investigative film crew of @anasglobal faces death threats, harassment - @pressfreedom - cpj.org/2018/06/ghana-…

.@pressfreedom today called on Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong to stop threatening investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas & those perceived as close to his undercover investigative film, "Number 12," about corruption & football in #Ghana cpj.org/2018/06/ghana-…

Agyapong, a parliament member with the ruling @NPP_GH for Assin Central in south-central #Ghana, has frequently criticized Anas and today in an interview with the local privately owned radio broadcaster Adom 106.3 FM said "he [Anas] has to be hanged."

Agyapong also called Anas a "blackmailer" and an "extortionist," and encouraged people to attack Anas and members of his team, showing a photograph and claiming that it was Anas during a May 30 appearance on the national television channel, Net 2 TV, which the politician owns.

Anas' identity remains unknown and he only appears in public in disguise. Images & speculation about his identity "tend to put the lives of other persons at risk," the Ghana Association of Journalists said in a statement. CPJ's repeated calls today to Agyapong went to voicemail.

The journalist and his team have also received threatening anonymous phone calls & been subject to physical surveillance, according to a person in #Ghana familiar with the threats, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, and the Ghana Association of Journalists.

#Ghana: Some of the harassment relates to Anas' journalism and upcoming film, which is scheduled for release on June 6, according to the same sources and Anas' @Facebook page. cpj.org/2018/06/ghana-…

"@anasglobal and his team must be free to investigate and report on matters of public interest without fear of reprisal," said @pressfreedom's Africa program coordinator @angelaquintal.

"One month ago, #Ghana hosted a @UNESCO World Press Freedom Day event whose theme was 'keeping power in check.' The threats Anas and his team face demonstrate how difficult it can be to do just that."

#Ghana: In a May 29 appearance on Adom TV, Agyapong accused the journalist of being "corrupt" and said in Twi, "That Anas boy, if this were a different country, he would have been..." and then made a choking sound while dragging his finger across his throat.

Agyapong has also publicly attacked people he says are working with Anas. "If you meet him [an alleged member of Anas' team] anywhere, slap him mercilessly. Yes, I said, beat him," Agyapong said in the local Twi language during the May 30 television appearance.

Separately, unidentified men on May 30 attempted to break into the home of @SaddickAdams, the sports department head for the privately owned Atinka Media Group. "There is a gate and that's what they tried to break through...before the police arrived," Adams told @pressfreedom.

Adams told @pressfreedom he believes the men tried to break in to his home in retaliation for his work as a journalist and because he has promoted Anas' upcoming report via radio, television, and social media.

.@anasglobal has previously shot investigative films on topics including alleged corruption within the #Ghana'ian judiciary. In a show of solidarity, supporters have taken to the internet & posted photos with the hashtag #IamAnas. cpj.org/2018/06/ghana-…