Press release
Somalia: Journalist killing must be investigated
ARTICLE 19
03 Feb 2012
ARTICLE 19 condemns the killing of Hassan Osman Abdi, director of Shabelle Media Network, in Mogadishu's Nasteho neighborhood on 28 January 2012. Hassan was gunned down outside his home. ARTICLE 19 calls for a prompt and independent investigation into the shooting to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act.
“We are calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the killing of Hassan so that justice is done to the deceased, his family and the entire journalistic family. It is a worrying development, as killings of journalists have a chilling effect on press freedom in the country,” said Henry Maina, Director ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa.
According to witnesses, two unknown gunmen shot Hassan five times outside his home after following him from his office. Hassan is the third Shabelle Media Network director to be murdered, following Bashir Nur Gedi in 2007 and Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe in 2009.
Somalia has witnessed a wave of attacks on journalists and closure of media houses. The year 2011 witnessed the killing of four journalists, seven journalists were wounded and seven media houses were attacked. These incessant attacks against journalists have made access to and dissemination of information very difficult in a country already racked with conflict and instability.
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