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Journalists living in a climate of
hanger, lack of medicine and faced ever theft |
Mogadishu, Somalia 18 April, 2010 :: The
Somali
Journalist Rights
Agency (SOJRA) would like to articulate and make public
the current livelihood situation of Somali journalists
whether they are in exile at neighboring countries or in
Somalia.
At beginning this year 2010, the existence and
occupation of Somali journalists have been in risk from
corner to corner in Somalia, the Somali Journalist
Rights Agency (SOJRA) observed, documented and reported
on plentiful luggage’s of harass against journalists,
media professionals and media stations.
The current state of press freedom and freedom of
expression in Somalia is a devastating one with a lot of
worry and many Somali media are not able to report the
situation as it is because of fear and reprisal from
both sides that are straggling the policy in the
country. In addition to that recently
Somali radio stations heed Islamist order to stop
playing songs.
Apart from the above information, Somali journalists are
also suffering hunger, lack of shelter especially for
those who are exiled in Neighboring countries such as
Kenya
and
Uganda
as well as the local journalists who are currently
working in a harsh situation and a country without law
and order.
On February this year the Somali Foreign Correspondents
Association (SOFCA) a long with the Somali Media Women
Association (SOMWA) reported that a Somali young female
journalist falls into mental trauma for her profession.
For more details please don’t hesitate to go the
following link;
http://somwa.net/2010/02/somali-young-female-journalist-falls-into-metal-trauma-for-her-profession/#
Similarly, the
Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) which is an
international media watchdog published two reports
devoted three exiled Somali journalists when they faced
new challenges although one of them is also pleading for
emergence medical help.
For further information go to the following two links;
http://cpj.org/reports/2010/04/exiled-somali-editor-family-make-new-life.php
http://cpj.org/blog/2010/04/exiled-somali-journalists-face-challenges-nairobi.php
As the international community knows there is an
amorphous media organization locally which is imitating
that he is representing Somali journalists as trade
union and affiliated to the world federation of
journalists but indeed the truth is flashing back their
dreaming while Somali journalists are suffering lack of
food and medicine.
SOJRA has the
right to tell the truth and no one can deny it therefore
Somali journalists has experienced a gigantic theft and
dramatic shifts following two decades of insecurity and
chaos in the country.
The information is adding to that this conspiracy is
planned by NUSOJ
Secretary General Mr. Omar Faruk Osman who has been
using money for the last 18 months to divide
the Somali Exiled Journalists and making also promise of
capacity building seminars for those in need of finance
with the help of external spoilers.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
part of these entire plights, but we clearly understand
that the fund used is coming from several sources of
which IFJ is number one.
On July, 2009, the General Secretary of
IFJ Mr. Aidan White
met a few of Somali journalists in Nairobi, Kenya and
pledged to give support of Somali journalists so
Abdihakim Omar Jimale was among the victim journalist
attended that conference and IFJ pledged Abdihakim he
will be given support, Abdihakim was injured on the left
hand on 11th August 2007 by unknown militias,
the same day killed Ali Iman Sharmake the Director
Hornafrik and Mahad Ilmi who was the director of Capital
Voice, at that time Abdihakim was working the government
media Mogadishu.
Similarly, Ahmed Omar Hashi was also among the victim
Somali journalists who met
Aidan White at
that particular time and Aidan White of IFJ pledged they
will be given support but nothing happened yet.
A journalist Ahmed Omar Hashi, who was news editor of
Radio Shabelle in
Mogadishu,
Somalia, has survived three attempts on his life. The
most recent occurred in June 2009 when hard-line Al-Shabaab
insurgents tried to kill him in the Mogadishu hospital
where he was recovering from gunshot injuries suffered
just days earlier in an attack that left his colleague,
Radio Shabelle Director Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, dead.
“As Ahmed Omar Hashi strode toward me, his figure
silhouetted in the bright morning light, it was hard to
believe this was the same man who left Mogadishu on a
stretcher just six months earlier after suffering a
near-fatal gunshot wound. As I reached to shake his
hand, he pulled me into a bear hug.” Said Karen Phillips
of CPJ
However, these two victim Somali journalists are now
suffering lack of food, medicine and shelter while they
are currently exile in neighboring countries.
“I could see Jimale wincing in pain every time he had to
move his arm. It was a chilly evening, and while I was
cold, trickles of sweat crossed Jimale’s face” said Tom
Rhodes/CPJ Africa Program Coordinator.
SOJRA needs to know from IFJ’ General Secretary Mr.
Aidan White respectively the following:-
1.
Why Aidan White is not neutral within the community of
Somali Journalists.?
2.
Why is he supporting NUSOJ and giving the legitimacy
while her single leader Omar Faruk Osman failed to help
the exiled Somali journalists and for those who are in
the country?
3.
What is the interest between you two of you are
supporting each other blindly and your interest against
within Somali?
4.
Isn’t it spoiler characteristics?
All these, plus many others really deserves
investigation
Finally, SOJRA calls on IFJ and her General Secretary
Mr. Aidan White to avoid this kind of behavior and stop
funding NUSOJ while Somali journalists are
poverty-stricken and are also desperately suffering
hunger as well as lack of medicine countrywide and even
for those who are living as exile in neighboring
countries.
SOJRA is encouraging IFJ to give the Somali journalist
the support they pledged last year as SOJRA now doing it
will make follow up how IFJ is serious about the support
they pledged for the wounded Somali Journalist, the
others who are still struggling for continuing their
work and those who fled the country.
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