PNGFM has written a letter of Complaint to Correctional Service Commissioner Stephen Pokanis and Police Commissioner Gary Baki after the assault of two of their journalists last week.
PNGFM News Director Genesis Ketan says she is very disappointed at the manner at which two of their reporters, one male and one female, were assaulted by disciplinary officers while covering the storming of the Papua New Guinea Parliament last Tuesday.
Ketan says they were simply there to do their jobs and cover the proceedings of what was happening at National Parliament when they were accosted by a group of inflamed disciplinary officers, both police and correctional service officers.
She says upon seeing the journalists – one officer called out “They are reporters, what kind of story are they here for, beat them up.”
Ketan says the female journalist was manhandled by a group of police officers who pulled at her shirt attempting to rip it.
The PNGFM reporter says one of the police officers pulled out her camera from her bag and smashed it right in front of her. She says another officer picked up her phone and smashed it while others were shouting and yelling abusive languages.
She was pushed back and forth during the commotion with just one elderly officer attempting to assist her and help her out to safety.
At the same time, the male reporter was separated from his colleague then told to put his camera away and not film or take shots.
During the struggle, he was attacked by a Correctional Service officer at first, which then lead to police officers surrounding him and attacking me. He says he kept getting punched until one Police Mobile Squad officer pulled him away to safety.
Ketan says such an attack is an attack on our media freedom when journalists should be protected and not be subjected to such attacks for merely doing their jobs.
Both Commissioner Pokanis and Commissioner Baki says they will investigate this matter thoroughly.
