The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly condemns the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for its unsubstantiated and irresponsible statement issued on 17 October 2016, over the arrest and detention of Vice President of our union, NUSOJ, Abdi Adan Guled. For many years, CPJ has habituated to issue statements known to be untrue or made with reckless indifference as to its truth or falsity by citing an imposter as an official of the National Union of Somalia Journalists purely based on greediness to be quick on issuing statements and for our union cooperation with wider network of international freedom of expression community.

"Once again, this CPJ chose to propel an imposter who is a hired mercenary of an oppressive government as an official of the union. This CPJ statement is an intentional false statement and misrepresentation of the facts made with the intent to deceive and misguide general public. With their recklessness, CPJ chose to perpetuate this fraudulent act even when our colleague is suffering in the prison. This fraudulent act is only possible in Somalia, not in United States of America,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

After having raised with its higher officials several times, NUSOJ categorically states that CPJ knowingly and willfully falsifies and conceals the identity and the legitimate leadership of NUSOJ by working for oppressive government agenda in order to benefit from the plight of Somali journalists and their union.

In November 2015, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Committee on Freedom of Association made a landmark ruling against the federal government of Somalia, denouncing it for intimidating NUSOJ, interfering with their democratic internal affairs and imposing non-union individuals as leaders of an existing unions, amongst other findings.

This May, four UN human rights experts made a joint intervention on the growing persecution of trade unionists in Somalia, including NUSOJ leadership. They urged the Somali government to stop the intimidation and reprisals against members and leaders of the independent trade unions, and to stop interfering in union activities.

"Somalia is not fulfilling its international human rights obligations and the situation for trade unions keeps on worsening despite specific recommendations made by the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body urging the Somali Government to refrain from any further interference in the unions registered in Somalia, with particular reference to the NUSOJ and …..,” the experts said.

The condemnation continues – as does the repression. In March 2016, the ILO Governing Body called on the Somali government to "take immediate steps to give full effect to its recommendations of November 2015.”

CPJ is however clearly colluding with those Internationally established to be committing vicious cycle of rights infringements and its puppet for its nasty completion of who issues press release first.

"We will do everything in our power to challenge this identity theft and fraudulent use of the name of our union by CPJ,” added Osman.

NUSOJ is a proud member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).