Newspaper executives arrested in Somaliland, radio reporter arrested in Baidoa
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrests of journalists in recent days in both the northern breakaway state of Somaliland and in the southwestern city of Baidoa, where the transitional federal government has its seat. Three executives of the Hargeisa-based independent daily “Haatuf” have been arrested in Somaliland. Hussein Mohammed Abikar of the […]
RSF and Somali journalists’ union call for charter to protect journalists as government troops take over
(RSF/IFEX) – The following is a 28 December 2006 RSF press release: Call for a charter to protect journalists as government troops take over As troops loyal to the transitional federal government took control of almost all of Somalia today, Reporters Without Borders and its partner organisation in Somalia, the National Union of Somali Journalists […]
Journalist arrested, another released
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is an IFJ media release: IFJ Condemns Arrests of Journalist, Union Leaders in Somalia The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today renewed its call for an end to the violence and threats against journalists in Somalia, a day after the arrests of a journalist and two union leaders. The journalist, Mohamed […]
Two leaders of journalists’ union arrested at Mogadishu airport
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest of Omar Faruk Osman, the secretary general of its partner organisation in Somalia, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), and Ali Moalim Isak, the NUSOJ organising secretary. The two journalists were arrested by the security forces of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) at Mogadishu […]
Transitional government’s police close Baidoa-based radio station by force
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has firmly condemned the forcible closure of privately-owned Radio Warsan in the western city of Baidoa. Police working for the federal transition government, which has its headquarters in Baidoa, have been occupying the radio station since the afternoon of 14 December 2006. “You cannot claim to represent the democratic camp […]
Radio journalist in detention; Italian journalist arrested, questioned, released
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 4 December 2006 IFJ media release: IFJ Calls for Release of Journalist Held in Somalia The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled, who is being held by the authorities in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, Somalia, on […]
Journalist held by pro-government militias for three days
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest and mistreatment of Abdullahi Yasin Jama of privately-owned Radio Warsan by militiamen loyal to the federal transition government in the western city of Baidoa. They held him for three days and abused him physically after luring him to the presidential palace on 24 November 2006 with […]
Authorities in Baidoa free two journalists, return their cameras and phones
(RSF/IFEX) – Two journalists working for privately-owned radio stations who were arrested on 24 October 2006, Mohammed Adawe Adam of Radio Shabelle and Muktar Mohammed Atosh of HornAfrik, were freed on 2 November and were able to resume working without any problems, Reporters Without Borders has learned from its partner organisation, the National Union of […]
One journalist freed, two others arrested in continued harassment by authorities in Baidoa
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders welcomes the release of journalist Fahad Mohamed Abukar of Radio Warsan, but condemns the arrest of two other journalists from the same radio station, Abdulkadir Barre Moallim and Nur Barre, as well as brutality against freelance journalist Idle Moallim Omar in Bossasso, Puntland. “The release of Fahad Mohamed Abukar is […]
Baidoa-based government urged to release three journalists arrested by troops
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of three journalists working for privately-owned radio stations who were arrested on 24 October 2006 near the southern city of Baidoa by militias loyal to the transitional federal government after they filmed evidence of the presence of Ethiopian soldiers on Somali territory. “These journalists […]
Mogadishu radio station shut down by Islamic Courts Council; journalists temporarily detained in Somaliland airport
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is an 18 October 2006 IFJ media release: IFJ Condemns Latest Press Freedom Violations in Somalia The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the latest attacks on media in Somalia, which included the closure of a radio station, the burning of newspapers and barring journalists from entering Somaliland. On Sunday […]
Newspaper critical of Islamic courts is publicly burned in Somaliland’s second city
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern that an angry crowd in Buro, the second largest city in the northern breakaway territory of Somaliland, burned more than a thousand copies of the independent daily “Haatuf” on 13 October 2006 on the grounds that it criticises the Mogadishu-based Islamic courts. “Newspaper-burning is serious and should […]
Islamic courts try to impose draconian rules on Mogadishu media
(RSF/IFEX) – A list of 13 rules of conduct for the privately-owned media which the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) gave to journalists in Mogadishu on 8 October 2006 has been condemned as completely unacceptable by Reporters Without Borders. “The result of this draconian charter which Mogadishu’s new masters want to impose on Somalia’s journalists […]
Islamic court militias arrest three journalists in Kismayo, close down their radio station
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has called on Union of Islamic Courts militias in Kismayo to let the privately-owned HornAfrik radio station work unmolested, after they briefly arrested three of its journalists on the morning of 29 September 2006 and threatened them with sanctions if they continued to refer to the UIC’s activities. “Under the […]
Radio Jowhar resumes broadcasting after agreeing to tight restrictions on musical content
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is an 11 September 2006 CPJ press release: SOMALIA: ICU authorities censor radio station, detain journalist New York, September 11, 2006 – Islamist authorities detained a journalist for two days and shut an independent radio station for a similar period in separate incidents this weekend, according to news reports and the […]
Radio station closed and reporter arrested at behest of Islamic courts
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has condemned punitive measures taken by Somalia’s Islamic courts against the press in the past few days, including the closure of the privately-owned Radio Jowhar and the arbitrary detention for 48 hours of Osman Adan Areys, a journalist based in the central city of Beledweyn. “It is painful to see […]