Information on George Naykene, editor of the Christian Chronicle [GHA14299]

According to Amnesty International, George Naykene, editor of the Christian Chronicle, was arrested on 12 November 1991 by the military police and detained without charge or trial under the terms of a preventive custody order (Amnesty International Urgent Action 14 Feb. 1992). Naykene was also chairperson of the Welfare Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (West Africa 9-15 Dec. 1991, 2066).

The editor was reportedly picked up by security agents investigating a story in the Christian Chronicle about a loan the People's Party administration of President Hilla Limman received from an Italian business tycoon in order to "rehabilitate" all 15 members of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), which had handed over power to the People's Party (West Africa 16-22 Mar. 1992).

Naykene was found guilty of intentionally libelling all members of the AFRC administration, which ruled Ghana for three months in 1979 (West Africa 23-31 May 1992). After a three-month trial, he was jailed for 18 months with hard labour by an Accra circuit high court (Ibid.). For further information on the trial of George Naykene, please refer to the attachments from West Africa and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Additional and/or corroborative information on the requested subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB in Ottawa.

References

Amnesty International. 14 February 1992. Urgent Action. (AI Index: AFR 28/01/92). London: Amnesty International.

West Africa [London]. 23-31 May 1992. "Editor Jailed."

. 16-22 March 1992. "Chronicle Editor's Trial."

. 9-15 December 1991. "Editor's Arrest."

Attachments

Amnesty International. 14 February 1992. Urgent Action. (AI Index: AFR 28/01/92). London: Amnesty International.

West Africa [London]. 23-31 May 1992. "Editor Jailed," p. 891.


. 20-26 April 1992. "Editor Opens His Defence," p. 686.

. 23-29 March 1992. "Revelations at Naykene's Trial," p. 514.

. 16-22 March 1992. "Chronicle Editor's Trial," p. 474.

. 9-15 March 1992. "Boakye Djan Speaks Out," p. 426.

. 6-12 January 1992. "Distressed Journalists," p. 38.

. 9-15 December 1991. "Editor's Arrest," p. 2066.