On Wednesday 28 December, Somali police in Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne district arbitrarily detained three Risaala Media Corporation journalists– news reporter Ilyas Daud
Hassan, reporter Sayid Ahmed Abdullahi and their cameraman Ali Hassan
Gure – who were covering Hamarweyne community members who were
complaining about the closure of city roads on Wednesday following the
visit of Djiboutian president Ismail Omar Guelleh in Mogadishu.
According to Radio Risaala, the journalists were intercepted as they were preparing to record interviews with the members of the
public and their equipment confiscated by the Hamarweyne police
commissioner, Najib Arab. One of the journalists said they were held at
the police station for two hours before they were freed without charges
but were told not to interview the people complaining.
On Sunday 25 December, Galmudug police detained two local reporters
Sadaq Abdi Shidane and Mubarak Mohamud Adan in Adado district after they
interviewed clan elders who allegedly said they met with al-Shabaab members in central Somalia. The two journalists were freed on the same day without charges.
“We condemn the continued attacks and threats against the journalists
including the recent arbitrary detention of three Risaala Media
Corporation colleagues who were detained in Mogadishu on Wednesday and
two other journalists detained in Galmudug,” SJS President Mohamed
Ibrahim said, “Journalists in the country strive to inform the public,
despite risking their lives while on duty. We call for both the federal
and the regional authorities to respect freedom of the press and cease
the ongoing crackdown on the journalists.”
“Our member radio stations and their employees are constantly facing
attacks from the state security forces especially the police and the
national intelligence as we are facing an unprecedented crackdown meant
to stifle the free media in Somalia,” SOMS Secretary-General Mohamed
Osman Makaran said, “These attacks against the press must stop and
journalists and media stations should be allowed a safe environment
where they can freely carry out their professional duties to inform the
public about what is happening in their country.”
