It was during the World Press Freedom Day, when the The management and Shareholders of Mustaqbal Media through their Lawyer filed a lawsuit against Somalia intelligence chief Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir and Deputy chief of Staff of Villa Somalia Abdinur Mohamed Ahmed to establish that the two officials named in the case had ordered or were behind the attack on Mustaqbal Media centre in Mogadishu, according to the court documents.

The attack came in the wake of the station’s heightened coverage of days of protests and confrontation that was triggered by the failed push by President Farmaajo to extend his term in office. The United Nations (UN) has estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Mogadishu following an outbreak of violence.

According to journalists and management of Mustaqbal Media, the Turkish-trained Haramcad armed officers entered the radio premises in K4 area in the mornig of 27 April, 2021 and ordered the staff on duty to come down at gunpoint, where they beat and harassed radio editor Bashir Mohamud Yusuf before confiscating computers, laptops, phones and cameras. The radio was put off-air subsequently, though the radio station resumed operations, the equipments taken from the radio station is still at large.

According to a statement released by the the management and Shareholders of the Mustaqbal Media on Tuesday, the complaint was in accordance with Articles 17, 21 and 22 of the Somali Penal Code and is a awaiting proceedings and final determination of the matter.

 "We call for end of surge of attacks on media workers in the course of discharge of their duties more so during this crucial transition and electioneering period,” the stations says in the statement announcing the suit.

The decision by the station is unprecedented because it is the first time a local radio station has sued senior government officials in recent history of the Somalia state, a time most of the press freedom violations happening in the country are accused by the state security forces with impunity. However, it drew support from the local media associations and journalists unions.

Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and Somali Media Association (SOMA) have supported the suit saying the raid on Mustaqbal Media remains a serious violation against media freedom in Somalia. Saying that  the only way to stop impunity against the media is to prosecute the perpetrators— even if they are powerful government officials.

The duo, Fahad Yasin and Abdinur Mohamed, both former journalists, were previously accused by the local media associations and journalist for press freedom violationsincluding bribing media, compelling to impose journalists, self-censorship and once threatened the journalists to keep off Somalia’s accountability issues.

From January to April 2021, 30 journalists were arrested, with two of them indicted and three media houses raided, making Somalia maintain its unenviable title as one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism globally.

All of these abuses were perpetrated by state security forces such as the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Haramcad Police, security officers of the regional states of Puntland, Galmudug, South West and HirShabelle.

However, many analysts say that its unlikely they get the justice they are seeking given how Somalia’s judicial branch is intertwined with the executive branch, raising questions of the judicial branches independence.

The Somali Attorney General’s Office earlier this year dropped chargesagainst Jubbaland Security Minister Abdirashid Hassan Abdinur (Janan) previously wanted  by Somali government for crimes against humanity according to Amnesty International report and government reports however, the Benadir Regional Court has accepted the withdrawal of the previously filed charges against Janan by the Attorney General’s Office, leaving unpunished for Janan’s crimes against humanity.

- Horn Observer -