Somalia

NUSOJ has unveiled a roundup of the state of press freedom in Somalia in 2015, painting a picture of another year dominated by violent hostilities against journalists and an oppressive climate that undermines the basic rights of independent media.

On 29 December 2015, NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman was parked at the gate of his union’s headquarters, when three armed men in a white sedan sprayed his vehicle with bullets.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the bombing but it had all the hallmarks of an operation by the Islamist rebel militia Al Shabaab. This group had already targeted journalists from the national media of the Somali State, against which it is fighting.

Abdullahi Ali Hussein had received telephone threats prior to being killed. No group has claimed responsibility but the way he was killed matches the methods used by Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militia responsible for murdering many journalists in the past.

Danish-Somali director Nasib Farah spoke to IFEX about his latest documentary, Warriors from the North, and what it was like getting up close and personal with young Al-Shabaab fighters and defectors.

Nearly seven years after Amanda Lindhout was kidnapped in Somalia, along with Australian photographer Nigel Brennan and translator Abdifatah Elmi, one of the alleged masterminds behind their ordeal has been charged.

On 30 April 2015, Daud Ali Omar and his wife, Hawo Abdi Aden, were shot dead by unidentified assailants while they were sleeping in their home, according to news reports and local journalists.

Farhan Suleiman Dahir, a photographer for the websites of Radio Mogadishu and the state-run Somali National Television, often traveled with military convoys to cover clashes between government troops and Al-Shabaab militants.

NISA officials stated their actions came after after Radio Shabelle broadcasted the voice of an Al Shabaab spokesperson, who claimed responsibility for the terror attack at Garissa University.

“By imposing hefty fines, the Somali government is attempting to silence the flow of news in the country. These measures have a chilling effect on the ability of journalists and news outlets to publish and broadcast freely.”

A firebomb attack on Radio Galkayo on 31 December 2014 injured two journalists and destroyed the radio studio.

Osman Adan Areys, a reporter for Somali Channel TV, was arrested after covering the election of a youth leader for the Hiran Regional Administration. At least one protestor was wounded in a demonstration calling for Arey’s release.

Four sites – Puntlandnow, Puntlandtoday, Galgalanews and Puntlander – were blocked by Golis Telecom Somalia, Puntland’s biggest telecom company. Puntlandnow’s owner said the closure order came directly from the government but Golis Telecom refused to confirm this when contacted by Reporters Without Borders.

The attack, which Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for, killed Abdulkadir Ahmed Mayow, a 27-year-old reporter for Somali Channel TV and Star FM, and Mohamed Isaq Barre, a 25-year-old cameraman for Kalsan TV, local journalists told CPJ.

Abdirisaq Ali Abdi was shot multiple times by unknown gunmen on 18 November 2014. His murder comes on the heels on the UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, and during IFEX’s End Impunity campaign.

Authorities in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland arrested two journalists from privately owned television stations last week after they each aired coverage of a protest in the northwest town of Gabiley, local journalists told CPJ.