Former President John Dramani Mahama has denounced the assassination of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed while covering an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

In a Facebook message, the former President expressed his condolences to the reporter's family and urged for an independent investigation into his death.

He praised Shireen Abu Akleh, describing her as an expert in her profession.

"The killing of ace Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is a most condemnable act. For a journalist who has for many years covered and brought us reports of events in Israel and the Middle East region, we all mourn her loss. It is our prayer that whoever pulled the trigger and any associates will be brought to justice through an Independent and transparent process,” he said.

The 51-year-old Palestinian-American journalist died, while her producer survived a bullet wound. They were "presumably" shot by Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire, according to Israel's prime minister.

While commiserating with Al Jazeera on their loss, John Mahama took the opportunity to highlight the country's rising number of journalist attacks.

He urged President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Police Service to speed up the investigation into the killing of Ahmed Hussein Suale, the head undercover investigator of Tiger Eye PI.

He stated that the perpetrators of such a heinous crime should be held accountable.

"Having said that, we also note that the murderers of Ghanaian journalist, Ahmed Suale, are still walking free. We call on the Akufo-Addo administration and the Police Service to take this investigation seriously and bring the murderers to justice".

On January 16, 2019, Ahmed Suale was assassinated in Madina, Accra. His death came as a result of his final inquiry (Number 12), which revealed corruption within the Ghana Football Association. The murder case has not been concluded three years after his death.

Source: backend.theindependentghana.com