Mogadishu Mayor Announces "Immorality Police" to Curb Social Media Influencers as Government Stifles Freedoms
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06 June 2024 00:30
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MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) - Somali media groups and civil society groups have vehemently denounced new efforts by the Somali Ministry of Information to impose restrictions on independent reporting.
The ministry's initiative, branded as a ‘conference on disinformation and incitement,’ was launched on Tuesday but was immediately met with backlash from independent media and civil society.
The conference, held in Mogadishu, reportedly involved the sponsorship of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is currently facing diminished trust and support as it prepares to withdraw from the country by the end of this year.
Local journalists withdrew from the conference on Tuesday, which they had been invited to cover, after realizing that it aimed to impose new restrictions on media freedom, including censorship of critical reporting against the government.
"We were invited to the meeting, but we decided to leave after the Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Al-Adaala, began threatening journalists and media leaders. That is not acceptable. This man has been known to have committed many crimes against journalists," said one of the media representatives who withdrew from the meeting on Tuesday.
The event took place at the Jazeera Hotel, located in the heavily fortified Mogadishu airport zone. Many parts of southern and northern Mogadishu remain no-go zones for the government and journalists due to frequent terrorist attacks.
Participants described the meeting as dramatic from the outset. "Shortly after the opening remarks, we were supposed to join a panel, but the whole thing became dramatic after all journalists and representatives of the independent media left in anger. The Deputy Minister of Information began harassing journalists with his speech, which included threats against private media," said another participant who represented a private NGO.
Hardline version of censorship
Religious leaders attending the meeting proposed a hardline Islamist version of censorship under the guise of countering "immoral and indecent content.”
The Mayor of Mogadishu, Yusuf Hussein Jimale (Madaale), known for his affiliation with religious extremist groups, also falsely claimed that social media had "facilitated the spread of homosexuality" and called for severe punishment.
He stated that his office had recruited new police specifically to combat "immorality.”
"The Banadir Regional Administration has created its own police force to protect morals. We have seen boys pretending to be girls and girls pretending to be boys on social media. This homosexuality is something we cannot accept," said Mayor Jimale.
PHOTO: The Mayor of Mogadishu, Yusuf Hussein Jimale (Madaale), known for his affiliation with religious extremist groups, also falsely claimed that social media had "facilitated the spread of homosexuality" and called for severe punishment.
Minister of Information Daud Aweys also announced plans to propose new guidelines for controlling social media, claiming it had become a means to incite and spread disinformation against the government.
Ali Abdirahman, who was invited but did not attend, expressed his frustration with the recent crackdown on social media influencers and independent journalists. In the past few weeks, police in Mogadishu have detained a dozen men and women social media influencers, accusing them of spreading "immoral content.”
"The meeting's agenda was to send a stern warning that the government is going to crush dissenting voices under the guise of 'incitement and disinformation,' while disinformation often comes from the government itself," Abdirahman said. "I chose not to attend such a gathering."
Journalists and media rights groups have expressed deep concern that Tuesday’s conference and the crackdown on social media users mark the beginning of a dark era for freedom of expression in Somalia.
"We have already said that this is going to be worse. We condemn the new tactics intended to censor independent and critical media reporting. We support and praise the unity of independent media and their journalists and stand by them to ensure that media freedom and freedom of expression are not violated in the country," said SJS Secretary General Abdalle Mumin.
Media experts like Hashi Nur have called for the government to focus on more pressing issues rather than curtailing freedom of expression.
"The government needs to focus on important issues. We are struggling with insecurity, massive corruption, and rampant sexual violence against women and girls. The same government officials are committing these crimes, but sadly they are wasting their time trying to curtail the public's right to freedom of expression," Nur said.
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Mogadishu Mayor Announces "Immorality Police" to Curb Social Media Influencers as Government Stifles Freedoms
MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) - Somali media groups and civil society groups have vehemently denounced new efforts by the Somali Ministry of Information to impose restrictions on independent reporting.