January 30, 2012—The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the African regional organization of the International Federation of Journalists, has joined its affiliate, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in firmly condemning the assassination of prominent journalist and director of Shabelle Media Network, Hassan Osman Abdi.
According to NUSOJ, Abdi, 29, was trailed from his studio in Mogadishu, shot, and riddled with bullets by assassins traveling in a sedan on Saturday January 28, 2012. Abdi died on the way to nearby Madina Hospital.
“We strongly condemn the cowardly act of the perpetrators of this villainous crime and call on the Somali authorities to ensure that justice is done and that the perpetrators are hunted down and brought to book,” said FAJ Vice President Foster Dongozi.
FAJ mourns the death of Abdi, who was a committed and highly respected personality in the field of journalism in Somalia and within the national journalists union, where he was branch secretary of the union’s Banadir region branch.
“We are disturbed by the frequency at which journalists are being violently attacked in Somalia, often resulting in a senseless loss of dear lives,’ added Dongozi.
More than two dozen journalists have been killed, hundreds arrested, and several independent media houses shut down in the country since 2006.
“Killings of Somali journalists reflect the vulnerability of the media professionals in our country and the dangerous climate to which they are exposed,” said Abdi Aden Guled, NUSOJ Supreme Council senior vice president.
Report: Somalia the Most Dangerous Country in Africa for Journalists. January 19, 2012—Attacks against and intimidation of journalists in Somalia are reaching a troubling level, says a new report by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), a Solidarity Center partner. The report, “Lives and Rights of Journalists under Threat,” chronicles physical threats to journalists, extrajudicial killings, legal pressure, and attacks on media workers’ rights, which combine to make Somalia the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa.
Eastern Africa: Fighting for Journalists' Rights and Press Freedom. November 29, 2011—Omar Faruk Osman is the president of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the secretary general of the Eastern African Journalists Association. He founded the National Union of Somali Journalists in 2005 and remains its secretary general. This statement is based on his remarks at a November 15, 2011, panel discussion, “Independent Media in East Africa: Democratic Pillar in Peril?” The discussion was co-sponsored by the Center for International Media Assistance and the Solidarity Center.
"Somalia: Freedom of Press in Danger," ITUC Online, January 31, 2012
