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NUSOJ
incensed by the beating of a journalist in Puntland
Mogadishu, July 14, 2012
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is incensed
by the apparent attack by security guards of regional governor
of Bari region to a TV journalist and union official in commercial
port town of Bossasso, meanwhile the union supported a wounded
colleague in Nairobi.
The security guards of Abdisamad Mohamed Gallan, governor of
Puntland's Bari region in northeastern Somalia beat, took the
cell phone of Ahmed Muse Ali, known Ahmed Jokar, who is correspondent
of the privately owned Royal TV network in Bosaso and member
of the NUSOJ Supreme Council on Thursday, 12 July, 2012 after
returning from Hotel International Village where he was covering
Somali presidential candidate.
"When I finished covering the event at the Hotel International
village, I was called by the governor outside the hotel and
he yelled at me ordering his guards to shoot me." Ahmed
Jookar said "I did not move, they beat, tore my trousers,
took my cell phone and broke my camera."
The disagreement between the journalist and the governor initially
started when the journalist cut "the sound bites"
of the governor in several of his reporting, followed by phone
conversations including threats which Mr. Jookar recorded and
later informed the governor that "he recorded his phone
threats", according to local journalists and the union
representative in Puntland, Mr. Omar Said Mohamed.
"We condemn the act of beating and harassing the journalist,
who is one of the NUSOJ officials." Mohamed Ibrahim, NUSOJ
Secretary General said, "Even, he recorded the phone threats,
the answer would not have been beating and gun pointing."
In a separate incident, The National Union of Somali Journalists
(NUSOJ) supported journalist Mohamed Nur Mohamed of Radio Bar
Kulan with money on Saturday, 7 July 2012 who was discharged
from a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya recently.
The money - $3000 - donated by Doha
Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) was handed to journalist
Mohamed Nur Mohamed by NUSOJ Training Secretary, Mohamed Garane
along with veteran Somali journalist Ali Muse Abdi.
Mohamed
Nur Mohamed known as Sharifka, a journalist working for
radio Bar Kulan was injured in Mogadishu on 8 June 2012 by unidentified
gun men and was later flown to Nairobi for treatment by the
administration of radio Bar Kulan.
"I thank the administration of Radio Bar Kulan and its
whole staff who showed their full support while I was in hospital
and the National Union of Somali Journalists for their efforts"
Said Moahmed Nur Mohamed.
"The work done by NUSOJ and Doha Centre is something I
will never forget and I am grateful to them" Mohamed added.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) always grateful
the generous support of Doha Center for Media Freedom is giving
to the Somali journalists in distress.
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