Cape Coast, Jan. 18, GNA- The Central Regional Director of Amnesty International, Mr. Prize McApreko on Friday stated that government's accountability to the people it governs was an important element in ensuring human rights in the country.

He said, holding government accountable encourages people in government to stay awake and alert to their responsibilities. Mr. McApreko said this at the end of a two-day workshop on human rights reporting held for the media and human activists in Cape Coast. The work shop which was organized by Journalist for Human Rights (JHR) was among others aimed at introducing the skills of human right reporting, teaching the importance of human rights reporting and its benefits to the government and the society.

He admonished corruption in all its terms, whether among state officials or the masses, adding that corruption breeds injustice and reverse social progress, "Corruption is a delicate issue that needs to be handled with due diligence and care" he stressed.

Mr. McApreko said, police brutality appears to have been so pervasive that it might be seen as the norm rather than an exemption, and that the police tend to be one unique institution that wield the prerogative of monopoly in the use of "legitimate force, minimal force, or reasonable force".

Mr. Emmanuel Aggrey, Central Regional Principal Investigator; public education focal person for Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) said, the role of the media was to inform the public on human rights issues that are happening in the country. This, he stressed, would erase the notion that human rights abuses are things that are not of our culture or does not happen around us. He pointed out that human rights were not only supported in domestic and international laws, but essential to the continued development of the country.

Mr. Aggrey said increasing coverage in the media about human rights will ensure that people are better informed about their rights and the rights of others.