Islamists in Somali continues media transgressions shabelle radio director shot dead in Bakara Market to day

Ajournalist Muktaar Mohamed Hirabe 42 was shot dead to day in Bakara Market and other journalist of Shabelle radio Ahmed Taajir was also injured.

The Islamist organizations in Somalia are now a day seems that they adopted damaging of the Somali journalist and the foreign journalists coming to the country.

SOJRA monitoring and observation confirmed to day the releasing of Universal TV director Ibrahim Mohamed Hussein who was abducted on 02 June but SOJRA worry the healthof the Journalist Ibrahim Mohamed Hussien whom was the director of the universal TV for the south and central of Somalia.

It was June 03 2009 when the Islamist organization of Ahlusunnah wal jama’ah ordered to the horn of Africa reporter in Galgudud region not to release any news concerning the areas that they control otherwise they will be arrested and this is an other obstacle of existing real situation of the human rights in the region where there is a war going on in the region between them and the religious organization of ALshebab.

The same with that the Alshebab organization is terrorizing to the media whose spokesperson said that from the media call us our name a name he mentioned otherwise stop talking about the whole situation of Somalia no media can dare to say alshebab only otherwise they will face from us a very bad punishment this was on May 21 2009.

Alshabaab’s terrorizing to the media was also understood from one of it’s heads speech while he was speaking from the media of the horn of Afric radio named Maalin Hashi.

However, all this are against and obstacles to the journalism and the democracy and it do not seem that it will end up in a short time.

Finally SOJRA is calling to the international community to keep the eyes for those religious organizations damaging the journalists and to bring them in front of an international justice for the near coming future.

We the Somali journalists are condemning the kidnapping of the Universal TV director Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Ali (Jekey) who was abducted by unknown gunmen, those were armed with pistols and their faces masked. We are also demanding his release unconditionally.

It is really unacceptable to us seeing our colleagues being killed and kidnapped every other day while they are doing their duties of covering the events that is occurring different places across the country.

We are also requesting whoever kidnapped our colleague that they should release him without any demands.

We also wish to see our colleague being released while he is safe and sound, it is really worrying us a lot and we are stunned that we don’t really know why the gunmen kidnapped our colleague, although there have been attacks, killings and abductions against the Somali journalists recently.

We the Somali journalists do work one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to work. Four our Somali colleague journalists were killed in Somalia in 2009 alone.

Elsewhere, individual journalists face a wide range of problems preventing them from doing their jobs. From direct attacks by the authorities and others to the use of libel laws, we the Somali journalists face often insurmountable obstacles to fulfilling the tasks that are so necessary for the defence of human rights.

Journalists in Somalia continue to face targeted killing, death threats, arbitrary detention and intimidation by all parties to the conflict. There were some 30 detentions of Somali journalists (lasting between four and 115 days), and journalists suffered more than 30 death threats, two killings and several injuries in 2008, with no means of bringing perpetrators to justice. Since the beginning of 2009, there have been several attacks and killings

Nur Muse Hussein of Radio Holy Quran was shot in the leg in Beletweyne on 20 April 2009 when he was covering fighting between the local government and armed militia in the area. Hassan Bulhan Ali, Director of Radio Abudwaq, was knifed five times in the abdomen by a single attacker in Galgadud on 7 February 2009 at a clan reconciliation meeting.

Three men with pistols killed Said Tahlil Ahmed, Director of HornAfrik in Mogadishu, when they shot him four times in the head at Bakara Market in Mogadishu on 4 February 2009. He was on his way with other media directors to a meeting with local al-Shabab.

Hassan Mayow Hassan, with Radio Shabelle, was shot twice in the head after being stopped at a roadblock by a local government-affiliated militia and died in Afgooye on 1 January 2009 on his way to cover armed conflict in the area.
And now the director of Unversal TV has been kidnapped and his kidnapping has increased our worries and safeties but we will never give up our coverages and promoting the freedom of press no matter what happens.

Written by Abdi rahman Hussein Fure (British)

Press Terrified Universal TV Director abducted

The Somali Journalists’ Rights Agency (SOJRA) is denouncing the abduction against Universal TV director in Mogadishu.

Somalia has not had a central government for close to two decades and it’s hard to work as a journalist. But the young Somali journalists decided to work in these hard circumstances.

Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Hussein “Jeckey” abducted by unknown militia when he was on his way from Afgoye to the centre of the TV (http://tvuniversal.tv/NS/ ).

“We think this abduction is just like threatening from part of the Islamists in Somalia” said Daud Abdi Daud, SOJRA Executive director.

All Mogadishu media directors are now attentive to what is next this painful action against freedom of expression and press freedom in Somalia.

All the parts who are involving the violence are not going to protect the young journalists in Somalia and this caused fear against the press on day by day.