Somali Media Freedom Defender Denounces member of the press murdered in Mogadishu

The Somali Media Freedom Defender   (SMFD) vigorously denounces the murder of Abdihared Osman Adan, one of Radio journalists in Mogadishu.

Mr. Adan, 45, who had been working as a presenter Shabelle Media has been killed around 7:10am local time by three men armed with pistols in Wadajir district in Banadir region.

The journalist murdered by the atrocious criminals few minutes after he has left his home to the Station to put on air morning news according to his Shabelle Media colleagues.

Abdihared is one of the few journalists working in dread conditions in Mogadishu. The Somali Media Freedom Defender (SMFD) calls Somali government to protect the journalists and investigate who habituated to murder journalists by taking all indispensable actions.

Mr. Abdihared left a mother and two kids. Heis the first Somali journalist to be killed in 2013. Eighteen journalists were killed in Somalia last year.

48 Journalists Killed in Somalia since 1992/Motive Confirmed

To know more about the names of those dead journalists, you may visit this link:- https://www.cpj.org/killed/africa/somalia/
Source:- CPJ.ORG

Somalia journalists are still under attack,another Journalist injured seriously in Bossaso.

Bossaso:-September 22, 2011, Somali Media Freedom Defender(SMFD) is wondering by continued under attacks against journalists in Somalia particularly Puntland, regional state while Hassan Mohamed Ali known as Hassan Antena, broadcast journalist was shot and seriuosly injured in the commercial port town of Bossaso, in Puntland today.

Journalist, Mr. Antena, a correspondent for the Voice of Peace Radio in Bossaso, was shot by unknown gunmen at the tea-shop place near the Radio Voice of Peace in Bossaso on Thursday around 10:20am local time, 22 Sept. 2011, where the journalist has been having a cup of tea, among other local people as eyewitnesses have confirmed the Radio Voice of Peace and they also have said that two bullets hit Mr. Atena, one hit his heart and the other hit his right arm.

Mr. Atena has been immediately taken to general Hospital in Bossaso where he is now receiving medical treatment, according to Awke Abdullahi, the Director of the Radio Voice of Peace in Bosaso. ad he said that his condition is deteriorating and between life and death.

The shooting incident coincides in two weeks time when another 20-year old female journalist Miss. Huriyo Abdulkadir, working for the Radio Galkacyo, was shot with four bullets by unknown gun on 14 Sept in this year.


"We condemn these barbaric attacks against journalists working in Somalia, this is deliberately attack against journalists so Puntland authorities must crack down on meant the daily attacks on journalists and protect the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media, we will not be silent these violations with impunity of Somali journalists." said Somali Media Freedom Defender (SMFD).



Somali Media Freedom Defender (SMFD) is urging all the journalists to be very cautious as attacks against journalists.

For more information please visit our website:
http://somalimediafreedom.blogspot.com/

Grenade attack damages Puntland radio station in Somalia

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 | Phone: (212) 465-1004 | Fax: (212) 465-9568 | Web: www.cpj.org

New York, August 29, 2011—Authorities in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland should conduct a thorough investigation into a grenade attack against a private radio station that left a security guard injured and the station damaged, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

“This is the second attack on Radio Daljir,” said CPJ East Africa Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “We call on the authorities to do their utmost to see that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to justice so that Puntland sends a message that intimidation and violence against the media will not go unpunished.”

At around 3 a.m. on Friday, a grenade was thrown into the compound of private broadcaster Radio Daljir in the city of Galkayo, the secretary-general of the Media Association of Puntland, Burhan Dahir, told CPJ. The explosion slightly injured a security guard and damaged the front of the station’s compound, he said. The reason for the attack remained unclear, according to local reports.

In May, an unexploded bomb was found outside the station’s gate, Dahir said. Last September, unknown assailants fatally stabbed Radio Daljir journalist Abdullahi Omar Gedi, 25, in Galkayo after he left the station, the station’s managing partner, Jama Abshir, told CPJ.



URL > http://www.cpj.org/2011/08/grenade-attack-damages-puntland-radio-station-in-s.php



CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide since 1981

Covert discrimination against Somali Media must be stopped.

By Mohamed Odowa



Somalia media today protest against the wide discrimination by the government security force as well as the Ministry of information during the welcoming ceremony of the Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.

More than 50 mainly working for the local Media houses include televisions, radio and websites have been denied to cover the news over the arrival of the Prime Minister as the journalists had been given Identity cards by the Somalia’s information ministry.

Many journalists included the director of the Universal TV Ibrahim Mohamed Hussein and more others have been intimidated by forces loyal to government as the journalists were trying in accessing their coverage duties.

The government leaders such the President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his Prime Minister Abdi-wali Mohamed Ali were seemingly watching over the harassments against the media workers. Radios and TV equipments included Video cameras were taken from some journalists by the government security force. Somali Journalists Associations Network condemns with its strongest words for this awful discriminations and calls to the government leaders to make investigation over the allegations.

Several journalists told SOJANET that some government troops guarding the area warned journalists to kill

Journalists from western countries who were already inside at the Halane Camp and the areas of the International Aden Adde airport were also unable to participate at the ceremony as most of them were reportedly harassed and banned by the government forces.

Only a few journalists who work at the government run radio Mogadishu and small number of outside media workers were able to cover the news about the arrival of the Prime Minister and his delegates.

“This is shameful for all government sectors. The freedom of the press in this country is very important for whole nation and the outside. "We would demonstrate with our colleagues until apologies the bad actions happened today,” said SOJANET

The Prime Minister’s visit to Mogadishu was an attempt to draw the world’s attention to the war torn Somalia followed by the worst drought and famine. Turkey is amongst dozens of Islamic countries pledging a $350 million dollars to famine relief under Organization of Islamic.

SOJANET questioned on why the information Minister allowed journalists to cover such news if it’s not prepared with its commitments for ensuring the safety of the journalists and their media equipments!

JOJANET—OFFICE-MOGADISHU-SOMALIA
http://somaliajournalists.blogspot.com/

A radio operator killed in Mogadishu City

MOGADISHU-(SMFD) A radio operator working for radio SIMBA based in Mogadishu capital was killed in crossfire at Bakar-market on Thursday.

Farah Abdi was shot dead on Thursday as he was trying to enter the front gate of radio SIMBA building in the center of the main Bakaro-market, acdcording to Abdulkadir Mohamed, the head of Radio SIMBA programs told the press.

Mr. Abdukadir said “My dear colleague Farah Abdi and I were heading to our station which is in the center of Bakaro-market, I was walking after him then we suddenly caught up with fierce shooting, unfortunately my friend, Farah was shot and died at the scene."

Mr. Farah added that due to the continuing fighting in the capital, the radio was off air and the staff members were not able to reach to the station since past couple weeks, at that time our aim was to collect some of the radio equipments at the SIMBA station because the radio was not on air because of fighting."

Mr. Abdukadir also sorrowfully said that this is another tragedy on all Somali journalists wherever in the world and the endless wars in southern regions of Somalia had made very complicated the work of media as dozens were killed, wounded or threatened past years.
Freedom of speech and freedom of information in Somalia are under serious danger.
Since late 2006, dozens of Somali journalists have either been killed, abducted, threatened or forced into exile owing to the ongoing fighting and Journalists in Somalia, as well as abroad, need protection and moral support from the international community.

Source:- www.somalimediafreedom.blogspot.com

Puntland court released Hiiraan online journalist

By Mohamed Odowa

http://somaliajournalists.blogspot.com
Somali Journalists Association Network—SOJANET welcomes the pardon of the Puntland president Abdurrahman Mohamed Farole over the release of Somali Journalist Faysal Mohamed Hassan known as Boston. Mr. Boston who works at the online Hiiraan Webpage was arrested on June 2. http://www.hiiraan.com the journalist was released at the prison in the Bosaso city on Sunday.


The National union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has been meeting with the minister of Information, his deputies and presidential staff members for the release of the journalist.


"We are glad that our colleague finally got his freedom back and welcome his release." Mr. Burhaan Dahir, the president of the NUSOJ Supreme council said, "We hope and urge the Puntland authorities improve the freedom of the press."


Full Article at Somalia Report by following the link …. http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1260/Puntland_Journalist_Faysal_Set_Free?PHPSESSID=5d631d702a6133b370d9ea1995f31caa