Human Rights Council: 18th Session
Item 10 – Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Somalia
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
28th September 2011.

Delivered by Ahmed Mahamed Ali “kiimiko” Somali Human Rights Defenders Network (SOHRIDEN)/East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network.

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, Somali Human Rights Defenders Network and the Somali Human Rights Defenders Network would like to thank the Independent Expert on Somalia, Mr Shamsul Bari, for his report and presentation and to build on some of the key issues he has raised.

Human rights defenders continue to pay a heavy cost for ensuring that violations are monitored and reported. While no journalists may have been killed during the period covered by the report, two journalists have been killed in Mogadishu since its submission; others have been arbitrarily detained and tortured during 2011. In past fortnight, two other journalists were shot at close range and severely injured in Puntland. In such a context, we regret that civil society representatives were not included in recent consultative meetings on ending the transition, and call on the Government, donor states and UN agencies to offer political as well as logistical and financial support to civil society.

The Independent Expert has rightly given serious attention to the current food crisis, and the need to deal with the root causes of this catastrophe becomes ever more urgent and apparent. One significant factor is the culture of impunity and lack of accountability that fatally undermines the ability of government institutions to effectively tackle the serious challenges Somalia faces.

We therefore fully support Mr. Bari’s recommendation that all those who perpetrate abuses against the civilian population, in transgression of their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, should be held accountable in a timely and transparent manner. During Somalia’s UPR a number of States recommended the establishment of independent international commission of inquiry or similar mechanism to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity. Would the Independent Expert support the prioritization of this recommendation and others relating to the administration of justice?

Finally, news that preparations are underway to place more UN staff in Mogadishu, including the new Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, is very welcome. We hope that this will provide much needed support to civil society and allow more systematic monitoring and reporting of the daily rights violations committed by all actors to take place.

Thanks

For the webcast of this statement and the complete Interactive Dialogue with
the Independent Expert on Somalia, please see:
http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/09/cihrs-interactive-dialogue-on
-somalia-33rd-plenary-meeting.html

Star’s investigative reporter Fatuma Noor is the overall winner of the this year’s CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award. Noor won the award for her investigative three-part series on the Al-Shabaab. It was chosen from the 1407 entries from 42 nations across Africa.

The series tells the story of the young men who give up their freedom abroad to return and fight for the Al-Shabaab in one of the world’s most dangerous places on earth – Somalia. See, the Lifestyle section for her three part award winning series.

She was one of the 27 finalists at the awards ceremony held at the Johannesburg Sandton Sun hotel on Saturday evening. She was also winner in general news (print) award category.

Collins Khumalo, President, MultiChoice Africa and Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President of international news gathering for CNN Worldwide presented Fatuma with the award. “”I want to thank my mum and my boss Catherine, who believed in me when no one else did. There was a time in my life when I thought about giving up, but with this Award I’m not giving up any time soon,” she said at the ceremony.

In 2009, Fatuma, who is a member of the board of the Forum for Investigative African Reporters, was awarded the runner up prize at the FAIR African Investigative Journalism Awards for her exceptional report on how underage girls from refugee camps were forced to work in a Nairobi brothel run by Somali warlords.

She is also this year’s David Astor Journalism Awards winner as she is taking part in a three-month professional development programme. “Its a brilliant triumph for both the Star and Fatuma. It is international recognition that the Star represents a new wave of Kenyan journalism,” William Pike, the CEO of the Star newspaper said. “Its a vindication of the hard work, grit and persistence that Fatuma puts into her work and which has served to inspire so many of her colleagues,”said the newspaper editor Catherine Gicheru.

The chair of the judging panel, journalist and media consultant Joel Kibazo said: “The judges were impressed with the high quality of entries to the competition this year, and this intrepid young journalist has shown great courage and determination in going the extra mile to tell this fascinating story. Fatuma Noor’s three-part series on the Al-Shabaab provides a detailed and personalised portrait of the young men who leave their comfortable western lives to join one of the world’s most ruthless militant groups in Somalia.”

The overall winner receives a substantial cash prize, a visit to the CNN Centre in Atlanta to attend the three-week CNN Journalism Fellowship, along with the prize awarded to all category winners, which consists of a laptop computer, a printer, a BlackBerry and a cash prize.

Source: The Star

  Ali Dahir Eid called for the breakaway Somali region’s administration to release Jibril Ali Omar and Dahir Ahmed Jirde, online correspondents for www.boramanews.com and www.saylac.com, respectively.

“Somaliland authorities have to ensure both men are released immediately and safely” Eid said in a statement

Omar and Jirde were detained on Saturday in Borama after writing on leaflets, videos and news distributed by Diaspora members of Awdal province who said they established an independent “Awdal State”.

Eid said the Journalists did not demand “autonomy” for the region but they have reported what seemed to be coordinated ceremonies in cities in the U.S, Canada and Europe.

“Omar and Jirde reported as events happened, they did not engage politics directly by lobbying sovereignty for this province, and that is what we want authorities should understand”

  The Transitional Federal Government, Local administrations, and armed groups in southern Somalia also target journalists consistently, arbitrary detaining or killing them for reports that are critical to them.

Caught in the crossfire, Ahmed Hassan, sports reporter for Radio Simba in Mogadishu has been wounded last Wednesday in the fighting between African peacekeepers, Amisom and Alshabaab militants during a soccer match in the north of the city.

This incident comes as Samira Mohamed, Voice of Peace correspondent who was injured by bullets when she had been heading her home in the same neighborhood last month, recovers in her hospital bed.

Editors Abdi Mohamed Ismael and Abdirashid Omar Qase were arrested four days ago for reporting “inaccurate news” that Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, had not visited locations captured by the Somali forces and their allied peacekeepers from Al-shabaab militants.

“We knew they were innocent and we welcome the good news that they have their freedom back after interrogation by the security agencies” Eid said in statement

“It is necessary both the government and the rebels end violence against journalists and respect the media work of informing citizens since we all believe that only informed citizens will reach constructive decisions”

Eid said the Information ministry’s intolerance of editorial independence of media out-lets in the country reflect authoritarian style of repression.

Somalia which has been mired by anarchy in two decades after warlords deposed Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991, is one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist, with dozens killed in the past four years and many others forced in exile.

Hayaan Media Development Center (HMDC) has on a serious mission condemned over the ongoing issue of two media houses (Hornafrik and GBC Muqdisho) that got attacked by the radical Islamist insurgent groups namely AL-SHABAB and HISBUL-ISLAM.

GBC, A TV station based in Mogadishu (capital Somali) had been acknowledged in advance by the radical insurgents to hand over the entire TV station to Hisbil-islam but the media owners and its administration in general called it virtually imposisble.Worse to come in a few moment the media house got attacked and some of its sophisticated equipments got confisticated. In a press conference the head of Hisbul-islam announced that the media house(s) should strictly be monitored and follow their guidelines thus neglecting the press freedom.

 On the other hand AL-SHABAB in full gear raided HORN AFRIK (a TV and radio station) that is on its pick, dismantled and caused breakages of expensive equipments hence leaving  journalists without jobs but rather be in the mix with them as Islamist militant groups in Somalia as they claim.

Since information is power the two stormed media houses were popular stations and trusted by its people as reliable source of Information then the insurgents groups took advanced to stifle press freedom for their personal gains and deceive it’s community, this all because the radio and the TV station are based in (Bakara market and Ex-control Balcad) the city center of Mogadishu where Administratively comes under AL-SHABAB and HISBUL-ISLAM.

Ali Eid, the chairman, Hayaan Media Development Center (HMDC) headquarter based in Netherlands briefed the Somalia journalist community in a social networking blog that “There are very limited options in the media fraternity, which is faced with its most defining moments especially those in a war torn zone, he deeply explained that still dilemmas haunt journalism in Somali thus pressing the press not to give up but rather continue with same spirit”. The chairman also argued the Anti-government group to withdraw its obstacles and challenges and focus the importance of the press for the Somali community.

I am glad to welcome you in the city of Utrecht in Holland for you attend the conference which I believe it has a great deal of interest for everyone involving media. 

I would like to pass special thanks to those of you who have crossed thousands of miles from Africa and Europe to attend and show their commitment of being part of the development of media and human rights.

And special thanks as well to our guests from EJC, Press Now, NOVIB, African Journalists in Europe, UAF, WN and all other organisations of the Somali community in Holland who always support the media, and specially assisted us on hosting this historic conference.

  
On behalf of Hayaan Media Development Center, I would send special gratitude to Novib for recognising the importance of this meeting which is a forum brining together journalists who have fled their country and scattered across Europe, a new continent that pose challenges including reintegrating into systems and societies that are strange to them.

As many of you are well aware, the year 2006 was not a pleasant year for everyone as we had seen new waves of violence against journalists and the media in Somalia. And the years that followed were worse than previous one. We did not end 12 months without killing, wounding or arresting journalists, with only this year three of our colleagues killed, and yet we have a quarter of the year left. In 2007 and 2009, the death toll could reach 9 which is a shocking figure for a small country like this.

One last incident,  Puntland authorities have detained Abdifatah Mire of Horseed media accusing him being a threat to a national security by interviewing rebel leader.  He was handed six years in prison and a fine of 500 U.S dollar.

Continuous abuses, like those I mentioned, have forced the Somali journalists to escape the country taking refuge in neighbouring states, Europe and as far as Australia and the United States, but the new life in the adopted countries has prevented journalists from practicing their profession. Somali journalists in Europe, including the Netherlands are more than 100, but less than 20 are still practicing their careers.

It is very hard for every human whatever his or her profession is, to simply change his or her way of life and career in a single day, and it has never been our desire to do so, but the situation in our adopted nations has pushed us to face the new life and come up with away that we can be part of the people and benefit from available opportunities.
Knowing there is no security risk in these countries, there are other reasons that prevented journalists from practicing their profession in this continent.

1-       Lack of the integration with the people in hosting nations.

2-        There is no or limited Somali media houses, online print or television in this continent,

3-       The agencies that support media and human right in Europe and governments did not put more efforts in establishing media houses where the journalists can continue with their career so that journalists could take part the solution for their country while they are in diaspora.

4-       It has also been very difficult for the journalists themselves to establish a committed institution that can fulfil their needs, and research on how other organisations can assist them in their hosting nations.

However, with all those hardships going together along parallel line, we found Hayaan media Development Centre to lobby against violations, document the abuses and to help journalists get higher trainings.

It is reasonable that newcomers in this continent, especially, Netherlands to seek their rights and more assistance. Nonetheless, taking into account on our experience in the media sector in the last 10 years, and the short period that Hayaan media service has existed, we met different organisation that were attracted by our mission, and some of them, like Novib have practically supported us to hold this conference. 

Hayaan media has attended meeting in late August representing Somali journalists in Europe, and joined the umbrella for the African Journalists in Europe, and we have two members of a committee that will work in the next one year.

Today, we believe that Somali journalists are the eyes of the people, locked by the civil war in an open prison, and reconnecting our people back to the world is our priority. Reporting the plight of our people who experience the daily carnage in the country has desperately been the intention of our members so that we can inform the public and the international community from what is going in that part of the world.

We are up against anything that can distract that mission from the right path, and give our people back home  the wrong impression that we had been working to using the media as bridge to cross to western world  in search of better life and personal interests, and do not care about a country and people who count on us.

Therefore, it is necessary to ask for your assistance on holding seminars regularly to address all these issue.

On the other hand, I am strongly recommend to Somali journalists to be united, follow up what is going on here and back home, and be aware of the media transformation in both your adopted and home countries.

Finally, I am here to welcome you, and looking forward that this conference will underline the hardships face by journalists in the country and those in the Diaspora.

Thank you

Chairman of HMDC

Ali Dahir Eid

The silence of the Radio came after Al-shabaab today arrested Ahmed Omer Salihi who is Director of the Radio and reporter of Shabelle Radio in Mogadishu but later released after few hours in detention.

Speaking to the freelance journalists and reporters in the region, Salihi said we cannot continue our duty of broadcasting because of the orders given by Al-Shabaab. “Instead of airing one side of the news story we preferred to stop working” he added. Salihi is also the secretary general of  (JIJA).

“This is all about to eradicate the independent media in southern Somalia and that is deplorable act to the free world” Abdiweli Garyare, the  East African project manager of HMDC said

Hayaan Media Development Center also concerns about the situation of the two journalists detained yesterday by militants loyal to Al-Shabaab for journalistic tasks. HMDC again calls for an immediate release of these journalists.

Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa as more than 20 professional journalists were killed and hundreds more wounded for the last three years.

if you want more information about journalists in Somalia, you can get our Website. ww.hayaanmedia.com

According to Juba Journalists Association (JIJA), militants loyal to Al-Shabaab in Kismayo raided this morning the house of Mohamed  Salad Abdulle where they put in detention.  Salad is a reporter for Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) a local TV and Radio station based in Bosaso, Puntland, the semi-autonomous region in northeast Somalia.also he is a member of  JIJA.

In Beledhawo of Gedo region in Southern Somalia, Islamists arrested today Mohamed Abdikirim, a reporter for local radios of Horn Afrik  and Markabley. Both journalists were arrested for journalistic tasks.

“This is absolutely unacceptable and intolerable action against the freedom of expression,” said Abdiweli Ibrahim Aden ” Garyare” The East Africa Project Coordinator of “HMDC”  “The continuation of harassments could eliminate the free media activities in Somalia,” he added.

Hayaan Media is demanding for an immediate release of the two journalists with the respect of human rights and free media rules.

Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa as more than 20 professional journalists were killed and hundreds more wounded for the last three years.

Members from Hayaan Media Development Center met with officials of the European Journalism Center on Tuesday 19 Jan. 2010 over the possibility of better relationship and cooperation between the two organizations towards promoting media activities.

The meeting took place in Maastricht, Netherlands as the HMDC and EJC officials underlined the importance of projects to enhancing the profession of the qualified Somali journalists spread out in the world particularly those still operating in Somalia under hard conditions.

The general director of Hayaan Media Development Center Abdullahi Jama Ali detailed about the insecurity problem in which the journalists work inside Somalia and their needs to be supported on the side of upgrading their professionals.

He sees the meeting with EJC as profitable and helpful to the continuation of the activities relating to energizing of Media doings.

The senior project manager Media Development of the European Journalism Center Josh LaPorte welcomed the briefings given praising HMDC’s efforts towards Media Development in Somalia regarding it as the appropriate and timely organization that has the capacity to maintain such greater media tasks in east Africa region.

“We as EJC works on media development in European Union countries and we carry out media projects in many African countries but we had no access to reach out Somalia because of the insecurity.  But now we can have the opportunity as long as we began contacting an organization based in Netherlands that works on media development and has the competence to perform projects inside Somalia,” said Mr. LaPorte adding that EJC will work closely with HMDC primarily creating trainings and workshops in Africa and throughout the world.

Abdiweli Ibrahim Aden (Gareyare), the East Africa project coordinator of HMDC who told the meeting that if full collaboration between EJC and HMDC is certain that would be a big achievement to the Somali journalists particularly those suffering in the countries neighboring Somalia.

Marjan Tillmans, project manager media development of EJC, speaking at the meeting pledged that they will consult with HMDC over the coming projects to meet the needs of the media people in Somalia.

Hayaan Media Development Center.

Utrecht-Netherlands.

Heavily armed soldiers from Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) raided the house of Isak in Galkacyo town on 21 December 2009 where they put him in jail, according to locals.

Chairman of HDM Mohamed Abdi Farah said the detained journalist has earlier been a victim where he was wounded by the Puntland soldiers. “This indicates that Puntland is fighting against the free press. Puntland should stop the culture of silencing the media,” he added.

 “Puntland had been expecting to be a safe place for the displaced journalists but it should not be home of harassing the media people,” Hayaan chairman said.

Farah is demanding for immediate release of the VOA reporter who is still in the prison for nearly week and calling for the Puntland administration to respect the freedom of speech and activities of the independent media.

By HDM