Somaliland:SOLJA strongly condemns massive detentions against journalists in Somaliland

Horndiplomat-(Press Release) Somaliland Journalists Association-SOLJA has condemned the government’s decision to detain four journalists who all of them works for prominent independent television-Eryal TV. Journalists are Badri Kosar, who is the Director of Eryal TV, Cabdirahman Fantastic-reporter, Caydaruus Mohamed and Kamaal Abdi who are both cameramen were detained. The police attacked while making investigation program against corruption, they were filming an official complain that members of students of the National service program recently introduced by the president of Somaliland. The students were claiming there examination is corrupted and non-service program members joined and separately examined.

Somaliland journalists Association is deeply concerned the arbitrary detentions against the freedom of media that silences the voices against government corruption and the restriction of public dissemination of concerned news independently. SOLJA achieved to release three of the four journalists detained and still working to free popular journalist Badri Kosar, who is the Director for Eryal TV.

Recently, in 26 July 2019,the Somaliland police force detained journalist Mohamed Yusuf Bakayle who is pro-government journalist, who is still in Criminal investigation department while remanded one week for further investigation as he was accused of working with Somalia government.

To sum up, the Somaliland constitution, the national media law and the international human rights principles have provided the freedom of expression and to freely publish and broadcast news and opinions to enjoy the democracy and freedom stipulated in available regulations. However, the government’s intolerance to diverse views and plural media is damaging the democratic growth which Somaliland citizens was proud of in the last 28 years. Hence, we re-affirm and strongly call for the government to release journalist Badri Kosar immediately or transfer to court for investigation.

Yahye Mohamed
Director-Somaliland Journalists Association