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Samme Bogad

Somaliweyn Journalist arrested in Northern Somalia - 2008/01/10 22:33 Mogadishu Monday, January 07 2008 SMC

In a convention held yesterday at the provincial headquarters of Hiran province, journalists from the region strongly condemned how the autonomous state of Puntland in north eastern fringe of Somalia deal with Somali Journalists who work in their territory.

The Somali journalists are the highest risked serving journalists in the globe.

The journalists lay blame on the administration of Puntland for arresting and intimidating journalists working in their coverage.

Some of the journalists detained by the authorities of punt land include Awale Jama and Idle Moalim the correspondent of Somaliweyn Radio in the region.

The president of Hiran regional journalists pleaded from the authority of Puntland to set free these journalists and to observe the rights of journalists.

On the other hand the administration of Somaliweyn radio in Mogadishu urged Puntland administration to free the detained journalists, the administration also appealed from the world journalist body to keep an eagle eye at the Somali journalists.

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David Brewer

Re:Somaliweyn Journalist arrested in Northern Soma - 2008/01/11 15:14 More on this on the Reporters Without Borders site.

A journalist arrested at Mogadishu airport, another arrested in Puntland

Reporters Without Borders calls for the release of Mohammed Shidane Daban of privately-owned Radio Banadir, who was arrested by federal government security forces on 4 January at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde international airport, and freelance journalist Idle Moallim, who was arrested on 5 January in Bossasso by the police of the semi-autonomous northeastern region of Puntland.

“It would seem that the New Year has not brought any respite for Somali journalists, who continue to be persecuted, arbitrarily arrested and harassed in what is now Africa’s most dangerous country for the media,” the press freedom organisation said. “We call on the authorities in Mogadishu and Puntland to immediately release these two reporters, who were just doing their work. Keeping them in detention would be incomprehensible.”

The Mogadishu authorities arrested Daban as he was about to board a flight. They also seized all his bags and papers. It is not known where he is being held. The Reporters Without Borders partner organisation in Somalia, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), believes his arrest could be a reaction by the transitional federal government to the continuing exodus of journalists, which reflects badly on the government. According to the NUSOJ, 35 Somali journalists have fled to Kenya since May 2007, 15 have fled to Djibouti, four to Ethiopia and three to Uganda.

Moallim, a freelancer who often works for the news website Somaliaweyn, is being held at police headquarters in the port city of Bossasso. He was arrested for covering the smuggling of illegal migrants from Puntland’s northern coast via nearby Yemen to countries in the Gulf. Puntland’s coast is also used a base for embarking illegal arm shipments.

Mohammed Bashir Hashi of Radio Shabelle was meanwhile wounded in the shoulder and left hand during a shootout between government forces and rebels in the Mogadishu neighbourhood of Wardhigley on 3 January. The NUSOJ said Hashi was interviewing civilians fleeing the shooting when a gunman fired at him.

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