Letter From Doha Center for Media Freedom to Somali President

Doha — We received with sorrow the news that the Somali Government has expelled Shabelle network from the premises given to them by the former minister information and confiscated their transmitters and radio equipment. When they were finally returned to them, they were vandalized and were out function.

The Radio transmitters have been damaged and the radio mixers and TV cameras have been smashed. all cables and security camera system in the building were cut and destroyed. back-up transmitters have been damaged and the radio mixers and TV cameras have been smashed.All cables and security camera system in the building were cut and destroyed. Back up transmitters and small size radio FM transmitters were taken to an undisclosed location. all this coupled with the government’s refusal to renew to licence of shabelle.

The Doha center for media freedom (DCMF) has also learned with dismay of the arrest of the journalist Mohamed Bashir Hashi, one of the shabelle’s most prominent journalists currently. Mr Bahir Hashi was detained after the interviewed a female Somali Journalist who claimed to have been raped two state employed journalists, one of them widely believed to belong to the somali national intelligence agency.

This seems to us as if the government has been intending to silence shabelle. the detention, harassment and refusal of renewing the license all lead to the oppression and silencing of free media. This is very serious situation. Threats to media organizations that perform their duties are intolerable and can’t be justified.

The government of Somali should never allow such acts which threaten freedom of expression. It is the duty of the government to protect the media and to maintain freedom of expression, free information follow access to information and freedom of communication.

Freedom of opinion and expression is an inalienable human right may not be confiscated under any circumstances or in any capacity. The Somali authorities have to be well and aware that there is no room for confiscation in the light of social networking and technology. Therefore they have to abandon the repressive policing mentality and to allow public freedom, especially freedom of opinion and expression.

Your Excellency.

We address you not only as President of Federal republic of Somalia but also as longtime-known human right activist who has been strongly defending the government’s responsibility towards media freedom and the right of the people to express themselves.

Therefore, we call on the Government of Somalia to immediately stop attacks on Shabelle Media Network and to refrain from restricting the activists of Media organizations or imposing unfriendly legislation against freedom of expression.

We urge the Somali government to renew the license of Shabelle, open an investigation into destruction of its equipments to return all Shabelle’s belongings to free journalist Mohamed Bashir Hashi