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Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 18,
2009 (SL Times) – Authorities of a leading Television in Somaliland have
accused government of suffocating independent media outlets and freedom
of expression in Somaliland.
Mohamed Abdi Ilig, the director of Hargeysa-based Horn Cable TV said in
a press release on Thursday that Somaliland’s government is violating
against the freedom of speech and the work of independent media houses
in Somaliland.
“We have met with some threats from government officials and we have
been informed that police of Somaliland are about to close our TV as
kind of successive restrictions against the independent media houses”
the director said in his Thursday’s press statement of which Somaliland
Times obtained a copy.
“Somaliland constitution allows the work of free media and freedom of
speech according to the 33rd article of the constitution, but the
government is making undemocratic actions against freedom of speech” he
stated.
The alarming statement from Horn Cable TV director comes as government
officials have recently transferred a case against this Channel to the
public prosecutor.
On 15 July, Judge Sheik Hussein Warfa Sigad, of the Hargeysa Appeals
Court, issued a judgment banning Horn CABLE TV. This decision reversed a
verdict by the Hargeysa Regional Court, which had rejected the
Somaliland Attorney-General's request that Horn CABLE TV be banned for
"inciting violence" that has existed in Eel-bardale town and "spreading
false information".
HCTV is one of the independent Channels established in Somaliland in
recent years and it broadcasts news, views, comments and interviews from
around the world.
“Our TV doesn’t violate on the ethics of journalism and the
international media principles and we are pledging to continue our good
job until death” the director insisted.
“We are calling on the local and international Human rights groups and
organizations advocating for rights of journalism and freedom of
expression to put pressure on Somaliland administration to stop
violations against independent media” HCTV director Mohamed Abdi Ilig,
said in his Thursday’s press statement.
Meanwhile, two Journalists, Mohamed Osman Mire, widely known as "Sayid",
and Ahmed Suleyman Dhuhul, director and news editor of Horyaal Radio
respectively, were arrested at 15:40 on 13 July by Somaliland police at
the office of the radio station in Hargeysa. The two journalists are
being held at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters.
The police units stormed the radio station’s office during work hours
and detained the two journalists without showing them the arrest warrant
issued by court, according to fellow journalists and witnesses in the
Horyaal Radio office.
Mr. Abdillahi Ukuse, chairman of the Union of Somaliland Journalists’
association in Somaliland, unreservedly condemned the arrest of two
radio journalists and expressed deep concern at the deteriorating press
freedom situation in Somaliland, particularly the shrinking liberty for
critical voices and independent journalism.
It is not clear why the two journalists were detained, but the arbitrary
arrests come days after Somaliland President Dahir Riyale's office
issued a statement warning media organizations against misreporting on
clan violence in Somaliland.
Last week, four men were gunned down in the outskirts of Hargeysa by
rival clan militiamen, raising clan tensions to new heights in
Somaliland.
There is a government ban on independent radio stations in Somaliland,
where only the government-run Radio Hargeysa is allowed to operate
freely.
President Riyale’s government have been imposing increasing restrictions
on independent journalists working for privately-owned print and
broadcast media in Somaliland by denying them access to information held
by the government. The authorities have also used other intimidation
tactics, such as barring critical journalists from covering events
attended by Somaliland officials, and refusing to provide advertisements
to critical media outlets.
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