Hargeisa, July 08 2013 (SDN) – Somaliland’s director-general remains confident of the breakaway state’s press freedom, despite outcry over the jailing of two leading journalists last week. Last Wednesday, Hubaal newspaper manager, Mohamed Ahmed Jama Aloley, and the paper’s editor Hassan Hussein Kefkef, were sentenced to one and two years in jail respectively.
The two also got large fines, for crimes including reporting false news and slander.
In a statement Hubaal claimed the verdicts were “far from being just.” Yet Somaliland’s director-general Abdirashid Jibril Yusuf argues that the country, which seeks independence from southern neighbour Somalia, still has a free press. ”Every journalist can express his feelings without pressure,” said Yusuf. “The government is not interrupting their freedom. ”
Yusuf denies that the government puts pressure on local media to scrap reports critical of the President, Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo. But a local editor who wished to remain anonymous confirmed to The Africa Report that negative comments are met with stern phone calls from state officials: “They say, ‘I think you should retract that comment.’ It is scary.” Hubaal’s offices were raided on April 24 this year.
Aloley suffered injuries to his arm and hand after an assassination attempt by two masked men, one of whom was reportedly identified as a policeman. No charges have been brought following the attack. ”Every freedom has burden,” admits Yusuf. “If one makes a mistake he can go to court. We know there’s a gap in training for journalists here. Most only take a six-month short-course. We want to have courses so our journalists don’t make mistakes. ”We want to control (the media),” adds Yusuf. “When we have more professional journalists, who know their mistakes, we can control. But for now we can only control partly.” Somaliland has experienced an explosion in its media industry of late, as the region booms following civil war and economic turmoil. The capital, Hargeisa is now home to 13 newspapers and five private television stations.
Source: Africareport
