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Somaliland
Police Detain a Journalist in the town of Las-Anod
Mogadishu, March 31, 2012
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is disturbed
by the continued arbitrary arrests of Journalists in Somaliland
following the arrest of Television Journalist in the town of
Las-Anod in Sool region on 31 March, 2012.
Somaliland Police arrested Ahmed Ali Farah who reports for
the privately owned Royal Television in the region on Saturday
noon, 31 March, 2012 in the town of Las-Anod, the regional capital
of Sool region, local journalists told NUSOJ.
Mr. Farah was imprisoned the orders of the governor of Sool
region, Mohamed Mohamuud Jeniyare and is currently held at the
Las-Anod central Prison, according to journalists who spoke
with NUSOJ.
The journalist has been recently reporting from in Taleh district
of the Sool region, where he was based. Taleeh district is where
representatives from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions announced
a regional independent state recently, which infuriated Somaliland
authorities and resulted in
mass arrests and the unrest that followed. His arrest might
be linked to his recent reports from the region.
The Somaliland authorities is yet to comment on the arrest
of the journalist.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) calls for
the Somaliland authorities to release the journalist immediately.
This latest arrest shows the deteriorating press freedom and
freedom of expression levels in those regions and how journalists
are risking their lives to report.
"We calls for the Somaliland authorities to give the journalist's
freedom back or bring him before a fair court," Mohamed
Ibrahim, NUSOJ Secretary General said, "We urge Somaliland
administration to respect the freedom of expression in the regions
under their control and allow journalists and media stations
to exercise the given freedoms."
In late February, the Somaliland police have seriously beaten
Mohamed
Abdirahman Ismail in the jail and is currently receiving
treatment and Mohamed Abdi Boosh who was beaten on the head
inside the jail, he is traveling to Djibouti for treatment.
Doha Center for Media Freedom provided assistance for treatment
to both journalists on the request of the National Union of
Somali Journalists. DCFM was among three Press Freedom organizations
that provided assistance to late
Hassan Mohamed Mohamoud who died in Nairobi on March 20,
2012 for chronic diabetes that led to malfunction his kidneys.
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