Monday, February 21, 2011

Attacks on the Press 2010: Introduction

Attacks on the Press 2010: Introduction

International Institutions Fai l To Defend Press

Here is the link to CPJ's story about the Attacks on the Press 2010, published on 15 February in the CPJ Website. http://cpj.org/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-introduction-joel-simon.php

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Al-Shabab releases Reuter’s Cameraman.

Mogadishu-- al- Qaeda inspired Somali terrorist group Al shabab has today released prominent Somali photographer working for Reuters News Agency.
Journalist Abdi Dhagane Eye, Abdi Yare was taken a hostage with his Video-camera by shabab members on Saturday, 19 February, 2011,.But shabab has released the journalist later on Sunday

Reuter’s cameraman puts hands of Shabab in Mogadishu.

Mogadishu-- al- Qaeda inspired Somali terrorist group Al shabab has detained a prominent Somali photographer working for Reuters News Agency without given reason.

Journalist Abdi Dhagane Eye, Abdi Yare was taken a hostage with his Video-camera by shabab members in, 19 February, 2011.  

The perpetrators assigned several media workers included journalist Abdi Dhagane to cover from food distribution in the areas of Karan district in northern Mogadishu.

The food distribution was said to be prepared by al shabab themselves, but later that as the journalists reached at the scene shabab gunmen immediately caught journalist Abdi Dhagane targeting with his car as well as his camera, local journalist told SOJANET.

It is still unconfirmed why the reason behind this was. Al shabab had not yet spoken about the detention of journalist Abdi Dhagane.

As SOJANET condemns Al shabaab perpetrators for the arrest of journalist Abdi Dhagane Eye and worrying for his situation, "we however call Al shabab to release the journalist without preconditions and let journalists to move freely for their duties on reporting the news on the ground”. Said SOJANET secretary General Mohammed Odowa. 
 
In Somalia, scores of journalists have been killed and dozens have been wounded, tortured and arrested. All work under oppressive censorship.


Source: SOJANET,

Monday, February 14, 2011

Mortar wounds two journalists in Somalia.

                                                                     
Journalists Sadam Adan Mohamed and Mustaf Mohamed Ali both based in the deadly city of Mogadishu have been wounded today on February 14, 2011 from a mortar blast fired by Al shabaab insurgents according to local reporter who spoke on condition of anonymity.         
The wounded journalists were among a group of other reporters who were invited to a press conference held by a senior officer of Ahlu-Sunna Waljama for Banadir Region. “We were informed to come and participate for a press conference with Ahlu Sunna Wal-jama officials in areas of Wadada-Shaqalaha-(workers’s street) of the Hodan distract”. “We heard a loud blast followed by mortar fire and I personally saw a several people wounded in the blast and two of the victims were our colleagues”, a local journalist told SOJANet.
A journalist Sadam Adan Mohamed who is said to be a photographer working for Shabelle Radio and his colleague Mustaf Mohamed Ali for Voice of Democracy-(VOD), were immediately rushed to a local Hospital.
The injury of the journalists came as a huge clash between the government forces with help of militias loyal to moderate group of Ahlu-sunna Wal-jama and that of Al shabaab fighters has been reported in many parties of the capital city, Mogadishu, witnesses said on Monday.
Somalia is dangerous place for journalists where local reporters are in the middle of a risks and dangers just for their reliable reports.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

"One by one we would be Killed"

Here is the link to Philippa Melaniphy's story about the plight of Somali journalists, published on 4 February in the Walkley Magazine. http://www.walkleys.com/features/1181

Here is a short excerpt:

International media organisations rely on inside reports from the world’s most unstable nation, but the violence and intimidation faced by Somali journalists goes unnoticed.

Perspiration drips from Mohammed Odowa’s face. A death sentence has been hanging over him for a while now. He watches as the armed militia pull scissors from their pockets. Is this how they’re going to kill me? Cut me into small pieces? Tracing the metal blades over Odowa’s scalp, the militia begin cutting rough chunks of hair. Suddenly he is released. But the message is clear: next time you will be
killed.

This is Somalia, the deadliest place in the world for journalists according to the Committee for Protection of Journalists (CPJ). The country is becoming a no-go zone for global media organisations as they increasingly depend on local freelance reporters for inside leads. But when local news goes international, Somali journalists are hunted down by the perpetrators they report on

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Our fallen colleagues...

The members of SOJANET were forced to flee Somalia or be killed. However, other journalists never had that chance. Below are some of our fallen comrades who were caught in the crossfire in Somalia, or targeted by insurgents for their reporting.

Source: The Committee to Protect Journalists

Barkhat Awale
Hurma Radio
August 24, 2010 in Mogadishu Somalia

Awale, 60, director of the community station Hurma Radio, was on the roof of the station helping a technician fix a transmitter when he was struck in the abdomen by a stray bullet from nearby fighting. His colleagues took him to Madina Hospital, where was pronounced dead.


NUSOJ

Sheikh Nur Mohamed Abkey
Radio Mogadishu

May 4, 2010, in Mogadishu, Somalia

Three gunmen shot Abkey, a veteran Radio Mogadishu journalist, near his home in the southern Mogadishu district of Wardhigley.  Local journalists said Abkey's body, found in an alleyway, also showed evidence of torture.
Journalists at state-run Radio Mogadishu said they had received phone calls from the Al-Shabaab insurgency claiming responsibility for the murder. Radio Mogadishu journalists believed Abkey was killed simply because of his affiliation with the government-run station.

Abdulkhafar Abdulkadir
Freelance
December 3, 2009, in Mogadishu, Somalia

Three journalists were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a Benadir University graduation ceremony in the capital, Mogadishu. In all, the explosion claimed the lives of at least 23 people, including several top government officials, according to news reports. Hassan Zubeyr, a cameraman for Al-Arabiya television, and Mohamed Amin, a Radio Shabelle reporter, were pronounced dead at the scene. Abdulkadir, a freelance photographer, died at a local hospital later in the day.
Minister of Information Dahir Mohamud Gelle told reporters that the suicide bomber was a suspected Al-Shabaab insurgent who was targeting government ministers attending the ceremony at the Hotel Shamo. 

NUSOJMohamed AminRadio Shabelle
December 3, 2009, in Mogadishu, Somalia


Amin, a Radio Shabelle reporter, was killed in a suicide bomb attack at a Benadir University graduation ceremony in the capital, Mogadishu. Amin, 24, had worked for Radio Shabelle for just six months. Both of his parents had recently been killed, making him the family’s primary provider.

In the same suicide bombing,  Hassan Zubeyr, a cameraman for Al-Arabiya television, was killed.

Radio Shabelle

Hassan Zubeyr
Al-Arabiya
December 3, 2009, in Mogadishu, Somalia



Zubeyr, 29, was a technician at Radio Shabelle before he left in 2006 to work as a cameraman for Al-Arabiya. Zubeyr was survived by a pregnant wife and four children.

Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf
Radio IQK

July 4, 2009, in Mogadishu, Somalia

Yusuf, 22, was killed in crossfire shortly after presenting the morning news on Radio IQK in northern Mogadishu. Local journalists said the fighting was so intense that Yusuf, hit twice in the stomach, was unattended for roughly three hours. The journalist was eventually taken to Medina Hospital but died from blood loss. Yusuf worked at Radio IQK, a private radio station also referred to as Holy Quran Radio, for three years as a reporter, a presenter, and, occasionally, a producer, the National Union of Somali Journalists reported. He was survived by a wife and three children.

Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe

Radio Shabelle
June 8, 2009, in Mogadishu, Somalia


Hirabe, 48, was shot several times in the head by unidentified gunmen as he and a colleague, Ahmed Omar Hashi, were walking to work in the capital. Hashi, 41, was shot in the stomach and hand but survived. 
A veteran Radio Shabelle reporter, Hirabe took up the role as station director after the former director, Said Tahlil Ahmed, was murdered in February. A popular journalist, Hirabe had led a charity drive to help displaced Somali children in 2006. He was survived by two wives and five children.



SOJANET members. Kampala, Uganda.