MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) last week published its annual press freedom report which provides an insightful highlight of the disastrous effect of the October 2022 directive of the ministry of information that restricted independent media coverage on the ongoing conflict in the country.
The report ‘State of Press Freedom in Somalia 2022‘, however, names the perpetrators of the key human rights violations against journalists and press freedom defenders. The deputy minister of Information of the Federal Republic of Somalia Abdirahman Yusuf Omar (popularly known as Al-Adaala) has been named as the worst violator of press freedom in Somalia.
“Mr. Al-Adaala remains the most repressive person in the Somali government and has authorized and directed attacks and persecution of journalists, including those from minority groups, under his capacity as the country’s deputy minister of information,” the SJS annual report found.
In February, 2020, a young journalist from the minority community of Somali Bantu, Mohamed Abduwahab Nuur (commonly known as Abuuja) was arbitrarily detained, held at the intelligence detention where he was tortured for five months before he was arraigned at a military court in Mogadishu in August that year. The court later acquitted him from charges related to ‘terrorism and murder’.
Al-Adaala, whose third wife receives Sweden government support in Gothenburg, comes from a powerful armed clan Habargedir within the Hawiye tribe. Many of Somali government’s top officials including the president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hail from the Hawiye.
Mr. Al-Adaala, who was then the director-general of the Ministry of Information, was the key person who authorized the arbitrary detention and persecution of journalist Mohamed Abduwahab Nuur (Abuuja), according to several human rights organisations who documented the case, including Amnesty International, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Committee to Protect Journalists, and SJS and the Somali Media Association which provided legal defense to the journalist during the trial.
“Mohamed Abduwahab Nuur (Abuuja) who comes from the Somali Bantu, a vulnerable minority community in Somalia, was detained on February 29, 2020, in retaliation for an editorial he published three days earlier criticizing Somali security forces for engaging in threats and intimidation against Somali citizens,” the SJS report wrote.
During that detention, officers tortured journalist Abuuja and threatened to kill him if he continued his reporting. He was released a few days later on the condition that he would not speak about his detention; however, Mr. Nuur was vocal about his unlawful imprisonment and on March 7, 2020, National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) authorities re-arrested him.
ORDER TO CHARGE AND PERSECUTE
In April 2020, Al-Adaala issued a statement claiming that the Bantu journalist, Abuuja, was held for murder and being a member of al-Shabaab. According to SJS, the accusation was intended to confuse the public and green light the perpetrators to torture, maim and persecute journalist Abuuja. He was held incommunicado for 92 days before his lawyer was finally allowed to see him, and only officially charged on August 3, 2020 by a military court which ordered him to be released after nearly five months in detention.
When Abuuja was freed by the court, he was denied his right to claim reparations and continue his journalism forcing him to flee the country into exile.
In September 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) declared the arrest and detention of journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur Abuuja in Somalia arbitrary and in violation of international law.
The UNWGAD issued an opinion despite his release as they are empowered to do through their mandate, due to the “extremely serious” nature of the case.
TARGETING PRESS FREEDOM ADVOCATE
On October 10, 2022, Al-Adaala, through his clan militia within the national intelligence (NISA), had authorised the raid on SJS Office in Mogadishu in retaliation for a joint press conference held at the SJS office by a group of press freedom organisations to raise concern on Al-Adaala’s restrictive directive. The next day on October 11, SJS secretary-general Abdalle Ahmed Mumin was detained from the Mogadishu airport. He was held at the notorious Godka Jila’ow detention, a torture facility which the Somali government previously said to have closed down.
“Mr. Abdalle Mumin was held at the notorious underground Godka Jila’ow in Mogadishu where he was continuously interrogated for two days before he was transferred to the criminal investigation department. He did not drink water or eat for the two days and has developed kidney pain and allergic on his eyes,” the report said.
“In a Whatsapp call to SJS president on the morning of October 10, 2022, Mr. Al-Adaala threatened to target SJS and its secretary-general Abdalle Mumin like al-Shabaab,” it added. The SJS president, Mohamed Ibrahim, also told the court about Al-Adaala’s threats during the third hearing of Abdalle Mumin’s trial.
RESTRICTIVE MEDIA AND THREATS
On 8 October 2022, Mr. Al-Adaala issued a new order to restrict media freedom and threatened journalists who remain neutral with “with criminal charges”. On 15 November 2022, Mr. Adaala suggested two conditions to restrict Abdalle’s freedom of expression and media advocacy in return for Mumin’s freedom. Mr. Mumin is still facing ongoing trial at the Mogadishu court with his travel and freedom of expression restricted.
“Mr. Al-Adaala continuous to threaten media advocates, journalists and other civil society groups. He directs violence, intimidation and reprisals against journalists who are critical to the government or to the ministry of information and remains the worst violator of press freedom in Somalia,” the SJS report concluded.
