Somalia / Interior minister demands apology in exchange for release of two journalists

Somalia / Interior minister demands apology in exchange for release of two journalists

MOGADISHU, March 29, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ --

Somali interior minister Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan is demanding a public apology from Shabelle Media Network, the owner of Radio Shabelle, as a condition for the release of two of its most senior journalists who have been held for the past 48 hours. The minister wants it to apologise for a radio programme on 22 March that questioned the competence of the transitional government's president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Reporters Without Borders is appalled by this ?disgraceful and unacceptable? blackmail. It betrays not only the transitional government's hypersensitivity and inability to tolerate criticism but also a desire to indirectly control the editorial content of independent media. The two Radio Shabelle journalists are not bargaining chips and must be freed at once.

Radio Shabelle manager Abdirashid Omar Qase and news editor Abdi Mohamed Ismail were arrested by the National Security Agency (NSA) on 27 March. More information: http://en.rsf.org/somalia-journalists-harassed-arrested-in-28-03-2011,39900.html

Their detention has been widely criticised. Those protesting include the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Reporters Without Borders partner organization in Somalia, which has called for their immediate release and urged the transitional federal government to respect freedom of expression and media independence.

Respected for its professionalism and courage, Radio Shabelle has always maintained its editorial independence despite pressure from both the government and the Islamist militias. Five of its journalists, including two of its managers, have been murdered since 2007. It was awarded the Reporters Without Borders ? FNAC Press Freedom Prize last year.

Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)

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