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The Somali Journalists Association is deeply concerned that journalists were today barred from covering a meeting between the Federal Government of Somalia and the leaders of the federal member states, as well as the Governor and Mayor of Mogadishu.
Unlike previous leaders’ meetings, ASOJ has received reliable information that some FMS leaders explicitly requested that journalists be prohibited from covering this meeting.
“By banning journalists from covering the leaders’ meeting on a whim of politicians, the leaders risk undermining the September 17 agreement, which was the subject of discussion at the meeting and which, in fact, explicitly guarantees freedom of the press and freedom of expression for all Somalis,” said Ali Adan Hashi.
ASOJ believes these are all elaborate conspiracies to hide the truth, evade accountability, and empower repressive forces across the country that have been using similar narratives to justify the suppression of independent journalists and the stifling of democracy in the country.
Quoting the electoral agreement signed by the leaders of the Federal Territories and Federal States on September 17, 2020: “… the leaders stressed that freedom of expression is inviolable in accordance with the country’s interim constitution and media law, the media should be given the opportunity to report freely from polling stations and should be protected from all forms of harassment that would prevent them from performing their electoral duties”.
“Journalists and their news media organizations should therefore be able to fulfil their constitutional duty to seek and disseminate information in the public interest without any hindrance. We call on political leaders to actively promote the free flow of information, especially as it relates to the important negotiations for the upcoming elections”, declared Dashir Alaso. “We urge leaders to reconsider their decision to allow the media unrestricted access”.
As a member of the United Nations and the African Union, Somalia has a responsibility to uphold the values expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including the right of all people to seek, receive and impart information and ideas “through any media and regardless of frontiers”.
Editor-in-Chief Hassan Mude
e-mail: (email protected)
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