2012 was worst year for scribes in Somalia – report

A number of Somali Journalists have been murdered in cold blood, tortured, jailed and threatened during the year of 2012, according to the Annual Report on State of Press Freedom in Somalia. The survey released on Friday by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and coincided with the World Press Freedom Day, describes 2012 as the worst year of media practitioners in war torn Horn of Africa. The report details press freedom violations, including cases of journalists being killed, wounded, arrested, threatened and media houses attacked. “2012 saw deliberate violence, impunity and injustice against journalists and media in Somalia which were widespread, systematic and involved a variety of perpetrators,” the report reads in part. In the report, NUSOJ says regular and systematic documentation of attacks on journalists reveals 2012 as the deadliest year for Somali media with 18 media workers murdered. “Five journalists were wounded in the period under review,” the survey adds. According to the report, journalists were killed by suicide bomb blasts and shootings by politically agitated forces, Al-shabaab targeted attacks and other criminal insurgents. The annual report added: “Mogadishu emerged as the deadliest place for Somali media practitioners with 14 victims. The murderous attacks heightened in September 2012 where seven journalists were killed.” NUSOJ survey states that attacks and intimidation of journalists continued in 2012 with impunity, despite repeated calls for accountability and justice. It decried high level impunity in Somalia where no credible action has ever been taken following violence against scribes. “Deadly violence against journalists and other media workers have been a distressingly recurring phenomenon in 2012,” Omar Faruk Osman, the Secretary General of NUSOJ said in a statement. He added: “We observed in 2012 a further deterioration in the safety environment for journalists.” The report further says that journalists faced frequent arrests, harassment, blackmailing, police detention and threats in Hargeissa, Bossasso, Las Anod, Mogadishu and Borame states in Somalia. According to findings, about 30 journalists were imprisoned for carrying out their work. “Journalists in almost every district and region of Somalia report that they live and work in a state of fear and exposed to danger as they work in an environment of fear, obstruction and intimidation,” emphasized Osman. “Contending with alarmingly regular and deadly violence as a consequence of their work, leading to widespread self- censorship, journalists struggle to maintain a balance in reporting on issues of public importance and their safety.” The 2013 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders poorly ranked Somalia when it comes to media freedom. The global media watchdog put the Horn of Africa on 175th position out of 179 countries surveyed globally. However Rwanda has been ranked 30th country with the freest press in a global press freedom survey conducted by the Gallup Polling Organisation. The survey put Rwanda on a fourth position in Africa after Senegal, Ghana, and Niger.