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 The acting manager of Radio Shabelle in Mogadishu, Somalia, has been shot dead outside his home. According to staff at the station, men armed with pistols approached Bashir Nor Gedi soon after he returned home after attending a radio ceremony. International media freedom organisations have joined together to condemn the killing. Dalmar Yusuf of Radio Shabelle reports.
Bashir Nor Gedi was well known for his responsive actions on behalf of the media in Somalia, particularly his work with Radio Shabelle where he was acting as manager.
Shortly before he was shot, he was attending a ceremony to mark the end of an annual educational competition organised by Radio Shabelle. After he returned to his home, armed men shot him outside his home.
The death of late Bashir has shocked all staff working at Radio Shabelle and they send their condolence to his family.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has accused the transitional government of intimidating and persecuting Somali reporters.
"We condemn the brutal killing of Bashiir Noor Gedi, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues," said CPJ's Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes.
"The Somali transitional government must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into this murder and bring those responsible to justice."
Reporters Without Borders has also condemned the killing. The organisation says Bashir Nor Gedi is the eighth journalist to be killed in Somalia this year and the third leading media owner to be killed by unidentified gunmen in the capital.
“The security situation in Mogadishu seems to be completely out of control,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“Abandoned by the Somali authorities and their international partners, journalists have become key targets who are easily accessible. One after another, the country’s leading media owners are being eliminated.
"By taking no action in this climate of total impunity, those who could be in a position to stop these murders will end up becoming accomplices.”
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