Mayor Jiir Beats Up And Imprisons SLTV News Editor

Abdirahman Muse Omar, journalist and news editor for SLTV (photofile)

Hargeysa, Somaliland, June 30, 2007 (SL Times) Abdirahman Muse Omar, journalist and news editor for SLTV, a private Hargeysa based TV network, was hit, kicked and imprisoned by Hargeysa city mayor, Hussein Muhammud Jiir on Thursday morning. The victimization of the journalist occurred when he tried to interview Mayor Jiir, inside his local authority head quarters, about an incident which occurred early Thursday morning in Hargeysa Club area.

Abdirahman Muse Omar, told SL Times, while being held in detention at Hargeysa central police station, that he went to the mayor’s office around 10 am Thursday morning to cover a news item he was preparing for Thursday evening news slot. When he arrived at the mayor’s office, he told the mayor’s secretary that he wanted to interview the mayor about the morning’s forceful eviction of Abdi Adan Aynanshe and his family of 11 children from the old unused Pepsi Cola factory grounds by the local authority police.

Abdirahman Muse Omar continued, “when the secretary informed Mayor Jiir of my presence, he immediately came out of his office and said to me ‘what the hell do you want?’, I replied I would like to ask you few questions about this morning’s forceful eviction of the family of 11 and the demolition of their home at the old Pepsi Cola factory grounds by your local authority, and whether the order for this eviction came from your office. As soon as I uttered these words Mayor Jiir jumped at me and tried to grab the TV camera out of my hands, which I resisted and struggled vehemently with the mayor. He couldn’t take it out of my hands because I was clasping it tightly with my both hands, and this is when the mayor hit me in the face with his right hand and started to hit me with his knees on my thighs and hips and at the same time he was screaming at the top of his voice that I should let go of the camera, which I did. The mayor then took the camera away and ordered his two bodyguard policemen, who were present in the office, to arrest and detain me in one of his office room chambers.”

The news editor was later transferred to the central police station on Thursday night, after spending more than 10 hours locked up in the mayor’s detention chambers at the local city hall headquarters.

SL Times spoke to Mayor Jiir on Thursday evening, but he declined to discuss the journalist’s arrest and detention. At the same time, SL Times asked the commander of Hargeysa’s Western division, the police force responsible for the journalist’s detention, Mr Adan Goon, why Abdirahman Muse Omar is being held in detention?

The commander said that he had no knowledge of the journalist's detention or of his arrest, therefore, he could not comment on it. SL Times tried to contact the chief of Somaliland police, Mr Saqandi Dubad regarding Abdirahman Muse Omar’s arrest and detention, but could not locate him by telephone.

The family of Abdirahman Muse Omar were denied by the central police station officers, on Thursday night, to deliver food and bedding to the detained journalist. The journalist’s family was told by undisclosed sources at the central police station that they were given orders by the mayor not to let any person see Abdirahman Omar.

This is not the first time a journalist working for the independent media was arrested, detained and assaulted by Mayor Jiir.

In 2005, Jiir attacked and imprisoned Haatuf reporter Mawlid M Shaqale for wanting to interview the mayor about the forceful eviction of 10 families from their homes in Hargeysa. Again, Haatuf reporter, Muhammad A Jibril was assaulted and imprisoned by Mayor Jiir in 2004 when the reporter tried to question the mayor inside parliament building about the heaps of mountain refuse forming in some of the city’s districts.

The local city police force and police headquarters is heavily bank rolled by Jiir. The mayor can detain and hold any person who questions his management of the local authority, and is untouchable when it comes to having a hand in major corruption scandals inside the city authority. He is also a member of the illegal government security committee overseeing the security matters in the region.

A number of local and international media organizations have demanded the immediate release of Abdirahman Muse Omar, the news editor for SLTV.

Somaliland Society of Independent Journalists and writers issued a statement on Friday demanding for the immediate release of Abdirahman Muse Omar. Mr. Mawlid M Shaqale of SSIJW said, “It’s most unfortunate that this incident ever took place. The mayor should be immediately dismissed from the local authority and taken before a judge for assault, criminal damage and illegal imprisonment of Abdirahman Muse Omar.”

Mr Shaqale urged the government to investigate this incident and take appropriate action against those police force officers guilty of Mr Abdirahman Muse Omar’s arrest and detention.

Abdirahman Muse Omar is still in detention as we go to press.

Source: Somaliland Times