by BRIAN ORUTA
Monday July 29, 2024
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) Secretary General Faruk Osman
Image: HANDOUT
The Armed forces and terror group al Shabaab have been cited as a hinderance to press freedom in Somalia, State of the Media report released by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) shows.
The report highlights concerns shared by journalists on challenges they face in the line of duty.
They include severe repression and threats among other challenges that make it difficult for journalists to discharge their mandate.
“The threats and challenges faced by the journalists have crippled the media’s operating environment in Somalia over the past year,” the report reads in part.
“It documents numerous serious violations including arrests, detentions, torture and even murder of a journalist, thus painting a grim picture of the media freedom of the country.”
In the report which recorded attacks on journalists in 2023, 60 per cent of the attacks involved brief arrests and detentions which are often used as intimidation tactics to suppress critical reporting.
“Prolonged detentions accounted for 17 per cent of the attacks, raising serious concerns about due process and the conditions of confinement. Equally alarming were instances of torture, also making up 17 per cent of the cases, thus highlighting the severe physical risks journalists face.”
The State of the Media report identified police forces as the primary perpetrators, responsible for nearly 87 per cent of the incidents.
The country’s capital Mogadishu, according to the report, is the most dangerous place for journalists.
“This is where about 40 per cent of the attacks occur.”
The report further outlines that the concentration of attacks suggest a targeted effort to deny or control media coverage in the heart of the country’s political landscape.
It highlights the tragic loss of Abdifatah Moallim Nur, alias Qeys, a respected journalist and Director at Somali Cable TV who died on October, 16, 2023, in an apparent suicide bomb attack at the Blue-Sky restaurant in Mogadishu.
The attack is believed to have been orchestrated by the terror group al Shabaab.
“The findings of this State of the Media Report are deeply troubling and paint a bleak picture of the current freedom landscape in Somalia,” NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman said.
“The sheer number of arrests, detentions, instances of torture and even murder faced by journalists is intolerable. This level of repression is a direct threat to press freedom and undermines journalists’ ability to fulfil their professional duties rather than the dictates and tormentors.”
In Puntland, media houses faced substantial editorial interference, pressure for content manipulation and intimidation from political actors, especially during the run-up to elections, the report said.
Produced for the 13th consecutive year, the State of the Media Report by NUSOJ is a critical tool in the ongoing struggle to defend media freedom and the rights of journalists in Somalia.
The report noted that these challenges extend to Journalists in neighbouring Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who have also experienced them while discharging their duties.