Radio Journalists Released, Who Was Behind Their Arrest?

press release

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) welcomes the release of two Radio Shabelle journalists who were arrested and locked up illegally by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia for 4 days on the orders of the Ministry of Information.

Abdirashid Omar Qase, Director of Radio Shabelle, and Abdi Mohamed Ismail (Abdi Uud) were released late this morning from the prison of NSA. Abdi Mohamed Ismail explained that they were arrested when they arrived at the headquarters of NSA after they were summoned at the HQ of the NSA to answer questions regarding news report concerning President Sharif Sheik Ahmed and they were instantly notified that they are under arrest on the basis of a complaint from the Ministry of Information against Radio Shabelle.

Relevant Links

• East Africa
• Somalia
• Media
• Legal Affairs

The complaint of the Ministry of Information stated that the Radio station offended President Sharif Sheik Ahmed. In the detention, NSA officers ordered Radio Shabelle journalists to make an apology about the news report they broadcasted about President Sharif’s visit at frontlines. The journalists refuted to make any apology and insisted that the news report was accurate. The 2 journalists reportedly told fellow journalists that they were neither tortured nor ill-treated during their detention.
“We are very pleased to hear that our colleagues Abdirashid Omar and Abdi Mohamed Ismail are free to do their work after their freedom was stripped off illegally for days because they reported factual news concerning TFG president. We reiterate our total condemnation to the Ministry of Information by coaching the security forces against journalists,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.