This week I found out that Amnesty International (AI) has expressed severe concerns on the press freedom situation in Somalia. Since last year, nine Somali journalists have lost their lives whilst reporting the war between the Ethiopian-supported Transitional Federal Government forces (TFG) and various armed opposition groups in the country. As well as this, at least fifty journalists have been forced to leave their country due to arrests and death threats. An example of this was found by Amnesty International:
“I wrote a story that two insurgents were killed. I was called on my mobile, and the caller said, ‘Why did you write that?’ I said, ‘It is the truth, I have to write it’. He said, ‘You are going to be in the list which we are going to kill’,” said one journalist.
Somalia has been named “Africa’s deadliest country for journalists” in Reporters Without Borders 2008 annual report.
“The killings, arrests and death threats targeting Somali journalists are not just another unfortunate by-product of the conflict and general insecurity in Somalia – they are a deliberate and systematic attempt by all parties to the conflict to stem the flow of information out of the country”, said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of AI’s Africa Programme.
“It is the journalists that are telling the world what is happening… This is why everyone wants to silence us. I have thought I will die in this job, but even when I am scared I can’t be silent because, if I do not tell these stories, no one will protect the civilians. We are their only advocates.” – A Somali journalist
This qoute pretty much repeats what I mentioned in my first post about journalists having “a sense of duty.” Here, we see a different agenda of some Somali journalists which is not only to tell a story but to tell the truth FOR the people, and with this they are putting their own lives at risk.
Below, is a video clip of the views on the journalist killings in Somalia and the fight for press freedom (you might have to wait abit for it to load though)
