Somalia arrests five journos in less than two weeks

Visits: 1016
(Rating 0.0/5 Stars) Total Votes: 0
0 0
Share via Social Media

Somalia arrests five journos in less than two weeks

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) - Authorities in Somalia's regional states have detained at least five journalists for the last twelve days, a local media watchdog said Monday.

Share

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) - Authorities in Somalia's regional states have detained at least five journalists for the last twelve days, a local media watchdog said Monday.

According to Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), the detained journalists include Adan Abdi Idle, Mohamed Omar Yusuf, Bashir Ali Shire, Ali Said Mohamed and Mohamed Omar Yusuf with some of them later released.

Somali police force known as "Dufan or the storm” detained, beat and shot at Radio Hubal journalist Bashir Ali Shire who was live-reporting a violent protest and a gunfight in Karan district in Mogadishu last Sunday

Shire told SJS that one of the officers snatched his phone and hit him with the gun butt before a bullet fired by another officer with a balaclava towards the journalist’s side. The journalists escaped unhurt.

On 21 April, Galmudug police forces detained independent journalist, Ali Said Mohamed who reports for Mudug Journalist, a facebook news page which covers Galmudug region, after a report alleging the Galkayo police of soliciting bribes from detainees at the police station.

He was freed on the afternoon of 22 April without charges, U.S-trained Somali special force "Danab” raided Radio Deegaan, a local independent radio station in southern Galkayo, Galmudug on 16th of this month.

The forces reportedly detained journalist Mohamed Omar Yusuf and confiscated a laptop and a voice recorder during the raid on the radio station.

Yussuf was held at undisclosed location and was not allowed to contact his family and a lawyer. Galkayo authorities have not yet disclosed the reason for the raid and the arrest of the station.

In north of the country, Somaliland police in Hargeisa detained veteran journalist Adan Abdi Idle mid this month. According to a Facebook video he recorded, Idle said that the Governor of Somaliland Central Bank Ali Ibrahim Baghdadi has ordered his arrest over publication of "photos and an article” alleging the Bank Governor of corruption.

The journalist, who is held in the Hargeisa police station, has appeared before the Marodi Jeh Regional Court twice on 19 and 26 April.

On 26 April, after finding no evidence for the allegations brought by the Bank Governor, the court gave the police seven more days to bring evidences while Idle is remanded in custody.