Shootings, beatings and arbitrary arrests condemned as election candidates urged to protect freedom of expression

This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

The increasingly hostile environment in Somalia has left journalists living in fear of both the government and militant groups, according to Amnesty International.

At least eight journalists have been killed since President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed came to power in 2017, while others have survived assassination attempts or been targeted for arrests and censorship, the rights group has said.

“Somali journalists are under siege. From barely surviving explosive-wired cars to being shot, beaten up and arbitrarily arrested, journalists are working in horrifying conditions,” Deprose Muchena, Amnesty’s director for east Africa, said in an statement.

The group claimed a “surge” in violence and intimidation under the current president, known as Farmajo.

Amnesty accused the government of not investigating attacks on journalists and censoring critical reports. Five journalists had been killed in attacks by the militant group al-Shabaab, while two others died at the hands of unidentified assailants, said Amnesty.

Bashiir Maxmud, a Mogadishu-based journalist, said he had received personal threats by telephone demanding he did not air sensitive stories or write about them on Twitter.

“I dared to ignore them and endanger myself to let my people have news from a reliable source,” he said.

Maxmud described the conditions as like working next to a “ticking timebomb”.

“They cannot independently air news for fear of being attacked by the terror groups or the government itself,” he said.

To circumvent censorship, Somali journalists have used social media to post their work. However, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) has warned of increased arrests for critical social media posts.

The organisation announced on Tuesday that journalist Hussein Ali Gesey was detained and threatened by authorities for a Facebook post criticising the security situation in the south-western town of Dinsoor.

According to the SJS, founded in May last year, 53 journalists were arrested in 2019.

At least 68 journalists have been killed in Somalia since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Most died in targeted murders while others were caught in attacks while on assignment.

In July 2019, Somali reporter Mohamed Sahal Omar and Canadian-Somali journalist Hodan Nalayeh were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel in the port city of Kismayo ahead of local elections.

“We, the journalists working in Somalia and specifically in Mogadishu, take risks working in a city where our colleagues are killed and maimed, and of course many others left the country,” said Maxmud.

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Farmajo’s government has also been criticised for proposing a media bill “which seeks to muzzle freedom of expression rights, both offline and online”, according to the African Freedom of Expression Exchange.

Press freedom advocates Reporters Sans Frontières said the law’s “draconian provisions” involved a register of journalists, a government-appointed regulatory board and a restrictive media code.

Amnesty called on candidates in Somalia’s forthcoming elections to protect freedom of expression in the country.

“President Farmajo must take immediate steps to ensure prompt, thorough, independent and effective investigations into myriad allegations of violations of human rights and media freedom. Those suspected to be responsible must be brought to justice in fair trials,” said Muchena.