The government and the terror group al Shabaab have been cited as significant hindrances to press freedom in Somalia, according to a State of the Media report released by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).
The report highlights the various concerns shared by journalists regarding the challenges they face while performing their duties. These challenges include severe repression, threats, and other obstacles that make it difficult for journalists to fulfill their responsibilities.
“The threats and challenges faced by the journalists have crippled the media’s operating environment in Somalia over the past year,” the report reads in part.
“It documents numerous serious violations including arrests, detentions, torture and even murder of a journalist, thus painting a grim picture of the media freedom of the country.”
In the report which recorded attacks on journalists in 2023, 60 per cent of the attacks involved brief arrests and detentions which are often used as intimidation tactics to suppress critical reporting.
“Prolonged detentions accounted for 17 per cent of the attacks, raising serious concerns about due process and the conditions of confinement. Equally alarming were instances of torture, also making up 17 per cent of the cases, thus highlighting the severe physical risks journalists face.”
The State of the Media report identifies police forces as the main perpetrators, responsible for nearly 87 percent of the incidents against journalists. According to the report, Mogadishu, the country’s capital, is the most dangerous place for journalists, with about 40 percent of the attacks occurring there.
The report suggests that the concentration of attacks indicates a targeted effort to control or deny media coverage in the country’s political hub.
It highlights the tragic loss of Abdifatah Moallim Nur, also known as Qeys, a respected journalist and Director at Somali Cable TV, who died on October 16, 2023, in a suspected suicide bomb attack at the Blue-Sky restaurant in Mogadishu, believed to have been orchestrated by the terror group al Shabaab.
NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman commented on the findings, stating, “The findings of this State of the Media Report are deeply troubling and paint a bleak picture of the current freedom landscape in Somalia.”
“The sheer number of arrests, detentions, instances of torture and even murder faced by journalists is intolerable. This level of repression is a direct threat to press freedom and undermines journalists’ ability to fulfil their professional duties rather than the dictates and tormentors.”
In Puntland, media houses faced substantial editorial interference, pressure for content manipulation and intimidation from political actors, especially during the run-up to elections, the report said.
Produced for the 13th consecutive year, the State of the Media Report by NUSOJ is a critical tool in the ongoing struggle to defend media freedom and the rights of journalists in Somalia.
The report noted that these challenges extend to Journalists in neighbouring Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who have also experienced them while discharging their duties.
