Full Text: Press Release
On 19 March, the police arrested Daniel Owusu Koranteng, also known as Amakye, a suspect in the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale. He was shot dead by unidentified individuals riding a motorbike in the Madina District of the capital, Accra, in January 2019. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), in welcoming the judicial progress in this investigation and recalls that crimes against journalists must not go unpunished.
Daniel Owuusu Karanteng was arrested and remanded in custody by the Madina District Court on 19 March, in connection with the killing of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale six years ago, according to local media reports. The suspect will appear in court on 1 April.
The IFJ-affiliated GJA welcomed progress made by judicial authorities in the investigation and demanded justice for Ahmed Suale, in a statement issued on 20 March: “We hope this breakthrough in the arrest and prosecution of suspect Daniel Owuusu Koranteng will only be the beginning of the long search for justice for Ahmed Suale and relief for media freedom advocates in Ghana and abroad.”
The GJA, which has monitored the developments of Ahmed Suale’s case since 2019, will engage with police leaders in the coming days, to gather more details about the prosecution.
“We shall also demand updates from the police about investigations into the many cases of assaults against journalists, including Latif Iddrisu’s case, which we had also earmarked for presentation to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice,” the union’s statement reads.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger welcomed the recent development in this case, which the IFJ has been closely monitoring through its affiliate for six years: “This is a crucial step in our relentless struggle to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists. We call on the authorities of Ghana to continue their investigation into the killing of our colleague, Ahmed Suale, until the perpetrators of this heinous crime are prosecuted and brought to justice.”
Source: IFJ