(19 JUNE 2019 – NAIROBI, Kenya/MOGADISHU, Somalia) The Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa (FCAEA) and Somali Journalists Syndicate condemn the recent harassment of journalists in Somalia.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa (FCAEA) and the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) are extremely concerned by the deteriorating press freedom in Somalia, including restrictions on journalists reporting from blast sites and threats meant to curtail media freedom.
Police fired live ammunition in the direction of journalists and threatened those attempting to report at a bomb site in Mogadishu on Saturday, June 15, 2019. The police also briefly detained two journalists of Shabelle TV as they were filming the city centre on Sunday, June 16.
These incidents follow an increasingly hostile attitude towards journalists in Somalia, who are facing arrests, harassment, and intimidation.
Freedom of the press is a vital component to any open society, and journalists in Somalia often put themselves at great risk in order to inform the public.
On Tuesday, June 18 Somaliland police shut down two independent TV stations, Horyaal 24 and Eryal TV in Hargeisa, over critical reporting about security forces.
The FCAEA and SJS are also alarmed by new reports that the facebook accounts of multiple Somali journalists were recently hacked, and some shut down.
We call on authorities to allow journalists to carry out their work without fear and intimidation.
We also urge the international community to insist that the Somali government and Somaliland authorities protect journalists and investigate the gross infringements on free press.
Jointly made by FCAEA and SJS