GJA Welcomes Police Pursuit of Out-of-court Settlement in 2018 Journalist Assault

The Ghana Journalists Association has welcomed the option for an out-of-court settlement by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno and the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, in the long-standing legal case involving Latif Idrissu, a Multimedia Group journalist.

Addressing the press on March 18, 2026, the Association said the decision was a constructive and forward-looking step toward resolving a matter that has remained a significant concern for the media fraternity and advocates of press freedom in Ghana.

The Association affirmed that a thorough and satisfying resolution will bring long-awaited closure to the case and reinforce confidence in institutional accountability and justice.

“The GJA’s position has always been that cases involving attacks on journalists and violations of media rights must be pursued to their logical and just conclusion. However, the Association also recognises that justice can be achieved through appropriate alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. It is therefore important to embrace credible solutions that promote fairness, healing and institutional reform rather than allow cases to continue indefinitely without resolution.”

It further called on the Attorney-General and the Inspector-General of Police to expedite action on the settlement process to prevent further undue delays.

It emphasised that swift and transparent handling of the process will demonstrate good faith and strengthen public confidence in the commitment of state institutions to uphold justice and protect press freedom.

The case stems from an incident in 2018 during a police operation and protest at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service in Accra, where Mr Latif Idrissu, the journalist, was assaulted while covering a police-related story.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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