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NAIROBI, 5 May
2005 (IRIN) -
The New York-based
Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ)
has expressed
concern over what
it said were attacks
on the freedom
of press in the
self-declared
autonomous region
of Puntland in
northeastern Somalia.
Reporters there,
it added, had
been arrested
and radio stations
threatened with
censorship.
In a letter to
the president
of Puntland, Adde
Muse Hirsi, dated
3 May, CPJ said
two journalists
from the weekly
newspaper "Shacab"
(Voice of the
People), in the
town of Garowe,
were arrested
in April and that
there were threats
to close the newspaper.
Authorities also
planned to introduce
identity cards
for all journalists,
according to CPJ,
and that there
had been attempts
to censor radio
coverage of sensitive
political issues.
"On April
20, security forces
attacked the premises
of Shacab, breaking
the front gate
and damaging the
editor's car and
other property,
according to the
newspaper's editor
and local press
freedom groups.
"The same
day, security
forces arrested
Shacab reporter
Abdirashid Qoransey
in connection
with articles
criticising the
Puntland authorities.
Qoransey was held
at a police station
for about four
hours, but was
released after
his editor, Abdi
Farah Nur, negotiated
on his behalf,"
the CPJ letter
to Muse said.
It added that
the police had,
the following
day, gone to look
for Farah, who
was not at Shacab's
office at the
time. Farah told
CPJ that he went
later that day
to the police
station, where
he was arrested
and detained for
three days. He
said police told
him that his arrest
was in connection
with two articles
published in Shacab.
On 23 April,
police returned
to Shacab offices
and rearrested
Qoransey, according
to Farah. Both
men were taken
to court the following
day in Puntland's
capital, Garowe,
and charged with
inciting the public
and insulting
the president.
The charges were
dismissed and
they were set
free the same
day.
"Puntland
officials have
also exerted pressure
on radio stations
in the region
to avoid coverage
of controversial
political issues,
such as whether
neighbouring states
should be allowed
to send peacekeeping
troops to Somalia,"
CPJ quoted the
Somali Journalists
Network as saying.
[ENDS]
Source: IRIN,
May 05, 2005
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